The Philadelphia Phillies lost in the NLDS to the Los Angeles Dodgers in one of the most crushing ways possible. After a tight extra-innings contest, the Phillies fell to the Dodgers 2-1 when Orion Kerkering made a brutal error to allow the winning run to score.
Philadelphia was eliminated in the NLDS for the second straight year and now will have to set its sights on the offseason and rebuilding this roster with some major pieces potentially on the move.
But, for Jayson Stark of The Athletic, after the NLDS loss, he believes that the Phillies should trade Kerkering. His reasoning is a brutal reality that Kerkering is going to face after his back-breaking error.
Phillies urged to trade Orion Kerkering after brutal NLDS-losing error
“One quick aside, though: Do they need to trade Kerkering?” Stark writes. “It’s possible Philly won’t ever be able to look at him again without getting Mitch Williams vibes. So that feels like something everyone needs to think about.”
Trading Kerkering would make the final moment of his Phillies tenure about as brutal as it can get. Committing an error to eliminate his team from the playoffs is a terrible final play to be remembered for.
What makes it so unfortunate is how promising Kerkering has been in his MLB career. While he’s had his fair share of struggles here and there, this is just his second full MLB season.
He’s only 24 years old, and after committing such a brutal error, he handled himself incredibly well. It’s also important to mention that Kerkering is far from the only reason the Phillies were eliminated.
The offense, especially the top of the order with Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and Kyle Schwarber, was all severely underwhelming in the playoffs. If the offense had put together more runs, then Kerkering never would’ve been in this spot.
More: Orion Kerkering holds back tears in reaction to Phillies’ season-ending error
Stark points out the Mitch Williams Phillies debacle, and while there is still some negative feelings for Williams, just like Kerkering, he wasn’t the sole reason the Phillies lost the 1993 World Series.
Baseball is a team sport, and while Kerkering’s error is a brutal mistake, it’s not something that should define his career. And it also shouldn’t be the reason for the Phillies to move on from him.
This season, across 67 regular-season appearances and 60 innings, Kerkering had a 3.30 ERA and 65 strikeouts. In 2024, his first full season in the Majors, he had an impressive 2.29 ERA in 63 innings pitched with 74 strikeouts.
The young right-hander has some electric pitches and isn’t someone the Phillies should cut ties with for one bad moment. If they did trade him, Kerkering would likely bring back a decent return, as a young, controllable reliever with his stuff would be a very enticing player to acquire for most teams.
In the immediate aftermath, he frustrations and blame fell on Kerkering. But, when reviewing the entire series, even though he wasn’t perfect with a 6.75 ERA, Kerkering is far from the reason the team couldn’t beat the Dodgers.
What the Phillies decide with Kerkering will be something to watch this winter, but Dave Dombrowski and the front office likely wouldn’t part with Kerkering for this one bad play. But, he’s still a player to watch for this offseason, as Stark mentions, he could be on the move.
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