Phillies' Top Players to Target and Avoid at 2024 MLB Trade Deadline
The Philadelphia Phillies entered the All-Star break with the best record in baseball and a commanding 8.5-game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the NL East standings.
With the most effective starting rotation in baseball and a terrific bullpen headlined by All-Stars Matt Strahm and Jeff Hoffman, adding another bat will likely be the focus of the trade deadline. Specifically, finding a third productive outfielder to slot alongside Brandon Marsh and Nick Castellanos looks like the most obvious area of need.
Ahead we've highlighted two outfielders they should target and one they should avoid as a quick overview of how they might approach this year's trade deadline.
Target: Tommy Pham, Chicago White Sox
Tommy Pham has been to the postseason four times for four different teams, including a solid run with the Arizona Diamondbacks last year that saw him go 8-for-19 with three doubles, one home runs and two RBI in the World Series.
The 36-year-old is an obvious trade candidate playing on a one-year deal with the lowly Chicago White Sox, and he is hitting .264/.339/.368 for a 102 OPS+ with 15 extra-base hits in 257 plate appearances.
At this point in his career, he's better suited playing a corner outfield spot, but the Phillies could easily shift Brandon Marsh to center field on days when Pham is in the starting lineup in place of Johan Rojas.
Target: Kevin Pillar, Los Angeles Angels
Kevin Pillar played his way onto the Chicago White Sox roster this spring after signing a one-year, $1 million minor league deal, but he didn't survive the month of April after going 4-for-25 in limited action.
The Los Angeles Angels plucked him from the scrap heap the day after he became a free agent, and he has turned out to be a great bargain pickup, hitting .288/.340/.482 for a 127 OPS+ with 14 extra-base hits in 150 plate appearances.
The 35-year-old is no longer the Gold Glove defender he was in his prime, but he is still capable of handling all three outfield spots.
Avoid: Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox
Do the Phillies really need a blockbuster addition to finalize their roster for the postseason push?
If they want to reel in Luis Robert Jr. it will likely mean parting with more than one of their top-tier prospects from the likes of Justin Crawford, Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller and rising shortstop Starlyn Caba.
The Phillies have a good enough team in place that the better move would be to keep the farm system intact and target a lower cost, complementary piece rather than swinging for the fences on a massive blockbuster deal.
There is no question Robert would make them a better team, but the acquisition cost would be detrimental to the team's long-term outlook.