Phillies Reportedly Interested in Bullpen Upgrades Ahead of Trade Deadline

We're halfway through June and the Philadelphia Phillies are still one of the best teams in baseball. The Phillies currently sit atop the National League with a 46-22 record and have cemented themselves as one of the biggest World Series threats with each passing week.

But even if Philadelphia is one of the teams to beat, there's always room for improvement. The 2024 MLB trade deadline is quickly approaching in less than two months and there's a good chance that the Phillies will be active in negotiations if it means bettering their championship odds.

One area where the Phillies could improve is the bullpen. Although their relievers are far from the worst in the Majors, a 3.55 bullpen ERA (9th) could have them looking at a certain pair of relief arms over the next several weeks.

Phillies Trade Rumors: Philadelphia to Target Two Bullpen Upgrades

A pair of MLB insiders are linking the Phillies to two relief pitchers before this year's deadline. First, 670 The Score's Bruce Levine is reporting that Philadelphia is one of a "few of the teams that have been doing their due diligence" on Chicago White Sox reliever Michael Kopech.

With the White Sox circling the gutter, it'd be surprising if they didn't have a fire sale this summer. One of their top trade chips is Kopech, who's signed for $3 million for the remainder of the season and is also arbitration-eligible for one more offseason.

Kopech is in the middle of a down year with the White Sox. He's made 29 relief appearances thus far, pitching to a 2-6 record and 4.91 ERA. Having said that, his performance hasn't been all bad. The 28-year-old righty has tallied the first five saves of his career this year and is averaging his second-most strikeouts per nine innings (13.2).

At the end of the day, Kopech is the type of late-game reliever the Phillies could rely on later in the year once the playoff push gets into full gear.

In addition to Kopech, New York Post's Jon Heyman reports that the Phillies are also interested in Miami Marlins reliever Tanner Scott.

Like the White Sox, the Marlins have been stuck at the bottom of the MLB standings and could look to unload Scott for future assets. The 29-year-old reliever would likely be a rental option for any interested party given that his contract expires at the end of the season.

Nevertheless, it's hard not to like the idea of Scott in Philadelphia's bullpen. The former 2014 sixth-rounder has pitched well this season despite Miami's abysmal performance, going 5-5 with a 1.93 ERA, eight saves, and 31 strikeouts across 28 innings. He's also finished 83 games with 40 saves since joining the Marlins, proving that he'd be another solid late-inning arm for the Phillies.

Time will tell if Kopech, Scott, or any other outside reliever can help Philadelphia win its first title in 16 years. For now, the Phillies own the third-best 2024 World Series odds (+600) on FanDuel Sportsbook.

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