The Phillies Could Be Big Buyers Before the Trade Deadline

The constant debate between Phillies fans recently has been whether the Phillies would be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. On one side, the Phillies have been hovering around .500 and don’t really have a shot at a wildcard. On the other, the New York Mets look vulnerable at the top of the division.

On Friday night, fans seemed to get a better answer from reporter Jon Heyman.

Rivals are expecting Phillies to be aggressive, and perhaps even go over the $210M threshold. On the wish list are believed to be a starter, a couple relievers snd perhaps a CF. Craig Kimbrel, who Dave Dombrowski acquired once before, in Boston, would be a great fit for them.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 24, 2021

Time to let your imagination run wild Philadelphia!

The first name to sink our proverbial teeth into would be the aforementioned Craig Kimbrel. The former Brave and Red Sox is having a career renaissance in 2021. The now 33-year-old had an even 6 ERA in his first 2 years in Wrigleyville. This year he’s 22/24 in save opportunities with a ridiculous 0.51 ERA. His WHIP sits at 0.679 and his K/9 at 15.5.

With a team that has had terrible bullpen problems, Kimbrel would be a shot in the arm for the Phillies (Get vaxx’d Phillies, please).

Also, we could potentially see a return of this famous Phillies scene.

While the Phillies do need a starter, they have not been connected to any other pitchers at this time. The team has been connected to 2 center fielders, however.

Starling Marte of the Miami Marlins would be a rental option as he’s a free agent at the end of the year. Our favorite rumor starter also gave us this tidbit.

Phillies, Astros and Yanks are among teams to check in on Starling Marte who seems likely to be traded. A sizable gap remains in contract talks with the Marlins as @BNightengale said. Miami’s offer is for more than the reported $30M for 3 years but extension hopes are fading.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 18, 2021

The 32-year-old is slashing a cool .289/.388/.445 and has stolen 19 bases for the fish. That’d be a 100% improvement over Odubel Herrera who owns a .296 OBP this season.

Surprise, the other center fielder rumor was started by Jon Heyman.

The Phillies would be at or near the front of the line if Byron Buxton became available. As @Ken_Rosenthal said the Twins are first attempting to lock him up. Tricky negotiation tough: superstar who’s been hurt a lot.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 16, 2021

This one is slightly spicier as Byron Buxton is currently injured BUT he was having an explosive year and is still under team control through 2022. Before getting hurt, the 27-year-old was slashing .369/.409/.767. He had 10 homers and 11 doubles in just 27 games. If the Phillies could swing a deal, he’d be an offensive and defensive blessing in the dark void of centerfield.

The Phillies will have until July 30th to make their moves. As the deadline approaches, don’t be shocked to hear the Phillies being connected to more and more players.

Go get ’em Dave.

Photo by John McCoy/Icon Sportswire