The Philadelphia Phillies have been on a tear recently, winning five straight games and jumping to first place in the National League East. While the franchise’s core, as a whole, is likely in the twilight of its prime, this group is gearing up for another run at the Fall Classic.
The race for the division crown is bound to be competitive throughout 2025, with the New York Mets and possibly the Atlanta Braves vying for first place. And the Phillies still have more than a few positional areas that need cleaning up, such as at third base and in the bullpen.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller is, therefore, projecting center fielder prospect Dante Nori as the most likely trade candidate for the franchise in 2025 to strengthen those weaknesses. Nori is a 20-year-old outfielder who is the sixth-rated prospect in the Phillies’ farm system. Despite his upside, Miller has pointed to some areas of concern regarding what Nori has shown in the minors.
“He’s (Nori) only slugging .299 through 50 games played at Single-A Clearwater, but he has good speed and is only 20 years old with plenty of room for growth,” Miller explains. “Then again, a speedy center fielder with minimal slugging prowess is exactly what’s not working for them these days with Johan Rojas, so maybe they can flip him for a setup man who isn’t suspended for 80 games and ineligible for the postseason.”
Overall, the Phillies might have to gamble on sacrificing some of their future to be one of the top contenders now. All signs point to the fact that this group has at least one more deep playoff run in it. The front office will ultimately need to decide how to best accommodate this timeline while not completely gutting itself in the long term.
It’s a balancing act, but if the Phillies do not believe Nori is a future at center field, which is also a need for this team right now, trading him soon might be a move worth exploring.
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