The Philadelphia Phillies are in high gear right now, and that could dissuade them from rocking the boat.
In a high-stakes season, the Phillies have won nine games in a row (mostly against terrible opponents, but wins are wins) and built a three-game lead in the National League East. They’ve also got the best record in Major League Baseball at 34-18.
Clearly, the Phillies will be buyers at the trade deadline. An important question will be how much they’re willing to mess with their excellent clubhouse chemistry to improve the roster.
One baseball writer believes Philadelphia should dump one of their top fan-favorites to secure an arm that can help them win a long-awaited championship.
On Saturday, Athlon’s Matthew Sullivan proposed a hypothetical trade that would swap outfielder Brandon Marsh for Cleveland Guardians reliever Cade Smith, one of the top firemen in the entire sport.
“While Marsh has been better as of late, the Phillies could stick to Rojas as the full-time center fielder and acquire much-needed bullpen depth,” Sullivan wrote.
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“Smith has appeared in 24 games for the Guardians in 2025. Across those appearances, he has pitched 22.1 innings, giving up just a 2.82 ERA. Smith has also struck out 34 batters compared to just 8 walks.”
Marsh, 27, has mostly recovered from his 4-for-42 start to the season, putting up an .820 OPS in 16 games since his return from the injured list. Coincidentally, the Phillies are 13-3 in those games (though, again, they don’t necessarily need Marsh to beat the Colorado Rockies or Athletics).
It would be a major risk with major potential for payoff to dump Marsh for a high-end reliever. And it could also signal the Phillies’ willingness to go after Kyle Tucker in the offseason, though that shouldn’t fully depend on whether Marsh is still around.
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