The Philadelphia Phillies are desperate for a right-handed outfield bat that can provide some pop to their lineup. That's why an MLB insider is proposing the Phillies trade two of their top prospects for an All-Star center fielder.
Center field has been a black hole for the Phillies. They have been platooning Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas , who have combined for a .632 OPS and three home runs, ranking 23rd and tied for 29th in baseball among center fielders, respectively.
They have 2022 first-round pick Justin Crawford — MLB.com's 49th-ranked prospect — knocking on the door in Triple-A, hitting .343 with an .867 OPS. But he has his own issues as he hits the ball on the ground too much and only has two home runs this season.
With the trade deadline looming, the Phillies need to upgrade their lineup. ESPN's David Schoenfield believes the Phillies should trade for Minnesota Twins All-Star Byron Buxton and give up Crawford and pitching prospect Andrew Painter .
"Buxton has been their best player and best hitter as he's on pace for a career high in WAR. Though he hasn't reached the heights of [Ronald] Acuña at Acuña's best, Buxton's contract is also team friendly, as he's signed through 2028 and making $15.1 million per season. He's 31 years old but is still one of the better defensive center fielders in the game," writes Schoenfield.
Buxton has been named to his second All-Star team in his 11-year career as he's slashing .270/.334/.544 with 20 home runs and a 138 OPS+. However, he's consistently been plagued with injuries and has only played at least 100 games twice in his career.
Having to give up Painter — MLB.com's 10th-ranked prospect — in a trade would be a big blow. He's expected to make his MLB debut this month after missing the entire 2023 and 2024 seasons due to Tommy John surgery and rehab. Painter was expected to make the Opening Day roster in 2023 but went down with the elbow injury after his first spring training start.
"Trading Painter would be painful, but the Phillies remain deep in the rotation with Zack Wheeler (signed through 2027), Cristopher Sanchez (signed through 2030), Aaron Nola (signed through 2030) and Jesus Luzardo (under team control through 2026). Ranger Suarez , who's having an excellent season, is heading into free agency, so he's the one arm they might lose," notes Schoenfield.
He continues: "But center field has been a soft spot in recent seasons, with the Phillies in the bottom third in the majors in OPS this year, and the team's overall power output has been below average, even with Kyle Schwarber . Adding Buxton adds more pop to the middle of the order."
Buxton would be an immediate game-changer for the Phillies, but if he got hurt and missed significant time, including the postseason, and Painter and Crawford develop into stars, Dave Dombrowski and the front office would never live this trade down.
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