With the trade deadline approaching next week, I want to take a look at a couple of teams that would be good trade partners for the Rays if they are looking to unload some of their bigger names and salaries prior to July 31. In this post, let’s take a look at the Philadelphia Phillies, who right now hold the best record in Major League Baseball.
Phillies Needs
As we head into the final two months of the regular season and playoffs, teams looking to make a deep run into the postseason will undoubtedly be looking to improve their pitching staff, both in the rotation and bullpen. The Phillies are no different: they’ve struggled to find a consistent fifth starter, as Taijuan Walker and Spencer Turnbull have both been injured, and in the bullpen they’ve experienced the struggles of former Ray Jose Alvarado to the point that he’s been largely reduced to eighth-inning roles. In addition, the Whit Merrifield experiment went south quickly, leading to having young Johan Ramos and his .560 OPS being a regular in the outfield. I would expect that President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski would be interested in players like Zach Eflin, Jason Adam, Pete Fairbanks, Randy Arozarena, and maybe even Brandon Lowe, who could be an upgrade over Bryson Stott in the power department at second base.
Prospects To Target
- OF Justin Crawford — The son of former Rays All-Star Carl Crawford was a first-round pick for the Phillies in 2022, and has scorched his way through their minor-league system. At just 20 years old he finds himself in Double-A, and could find himself on track to be in the big leagues as soon as the end of 2025.
- SS Starlyn Caba — The 18-year-old switch-hitter was just promoted from the Florida Complex League to the Florida State League this week after a year on the back fields that saw him finish with an on-base percentage of .427, 51 walks against just 34 strikeouts, and 37 stolen bases in 45 attempts in just 52 games. He’s not anywhere close to being big-league ready, but there’s certainly a reason he’s a top-5 ranked prospects in their organization according to MLB Pipeline and one of the top 100 in the game.
- C Eduardo Tait — Another prospect in the same vein as Caba, Tait was also promoted to the Florida State League this week from the Florida Complex League. It’s quite the accomplishment for the catcher, who hit .321/.377/.500 with six homers and 49 RBI in 51 games as a 17-year-old. The main concern is making sure that Tait can stay healthy and athletic enough to remain behind the plate.
Dombrowski Loves Dealing Prospects
Because of Dombrowski’s tendency to move the future for today in a way that can cause the window to slam shut pretty violently (see what Chaim Bloom was left with after Dombrowski left Boston), this might be the Rays best chance to re-tool quickly and be ready to keep their own window open as long as possible. And it’s possible that the Rays could get a major league piece back in return along with the prospects in order to even up the deal and give the Phillies some flexibility in the process.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
