Could the Philadelphia Phillies find a one-stop shop for their trade deadline needs?
The Phillies need two things above all else: a new outfield bat and a reliable reliever/potential closer. It would be highly appealing to find both in the same trade, which could possibly save them a little bit of prospect capital compared to making separate deals.
One Major League Baseball insider believes the Baltimore Orioles, who have been one of the most disappointing teams of the season, could be the right fit for the Phillies in a potential blockbuster.
On Wednesday, Jim Bowden of The Athletic wrote that a trade sending Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins and closer Félix Bautista to Philadelphia for a handful of prospects could work out nicely for both sides.
“Mullins, 30, is an impending free agent who could be available on the thin outfield market. He is having a down year, batting just .214 with a 99 OPS+, but does have 12 homers and eight stolen bases and remains an elite defensive center fielder,” Bowden wrote.
“A trade sending Mullins and Bautista to the Phillies could be a great fit for Philadelphia, which would have to give Baltimore a strong prospect package to make that hypothetical deal work.”
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Mullins was an All-Star in 2021; Bautista in 2023. The former will be a free agent this winter, as Bowden mentions, but Bautista will be under contract through the 2027 season at a relatively low cost.
The defensive metrics don’t all love Mullins anymore, but Statcast has him rated with one out above average this season, putting him in the 70th percentile. Bautista still has elite closer stuff, with a 96th percentile whiff rate, and his season ERA sits at 2.73.
If either or both of these big names winds up in Philadelphia this summer, the Phillies have to be considered trade deadline winners.
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