2 early trade targets to help Phillies reach playoffs

Clearly, the Philadelphia Phillies have a strong pitching staff. And their recent work against the Padres added more evidence. But the offense has struggled. And here are three early trade targets to help the Phillies reach the playoffs.

The Phillies were nestled in the second Wild Card spot, heading into Monday’s slate of games. However, there were seven teams within 1.5 games of a postseason berth. So, the Phillies can’t feel comfortable even though they have played much better of late.

They have two avenues. They could add a big bat to the lineup to jumpstart the offense. Or they could add another starting pitcher. The latter could make them so good that their offensive woes could be managed. And they could still get wins.

On their radar is a solid veteran infielder.

Astros 3B Isaac Parades

This is a tempting direction for the Phillies. Paredes is one of those guys who delivers right about the level of expectations. He’s not a superstar, but he can provide a consistent and solid right-handed stick in the lineup.

And Paredes has exceptional qualities, according to the Houston Chronicle.

“When he gets hot,” manager Joe Espada said, “he can really carry our team.”

Paredes showed that recently with an important home run.

“I think he’s just letting the ball get closer to him,” Espada said. “That home run was more left-center. That means he’s kind of working more towards the middle of the field. The sac fly to right field, those are really good signs of him just kind of staying within himself and not trying to do too much.”

Also, Paredes is finding a groove as the weather heats up.

“I started really slow, I recognize that,” Paredes said, through an interpreter. “But I think that it’s a long season and at any point it can turn around and I can help the team in the way that I know I can help them.”

Tigers SP Tarik Skubal

OK, so every team in Major League Baseball improves dramatically by adding this guy. However, the Phillies could have baseball’s best pitching staff if the two-time Cy Young Award winner came to town.

And although Skubal is still on the injured list, he could return to the major-league mound this week.

Of course, Skubal has looked so good that maybe the Tigers won’t deal him. They are seeing exactly what they hoped for in his rehab work, according to MLB.com.

“There are game situations that should be really easy for a big leaguer,” Tigers manager A.J Hinch said, “but it’s just getting back into game mode. It’s just different than a sim game. The sim game, part of it is physical skill-building, a physical return to play. The mental aspect, the competitive aspect, the bad call, error behind you. There’s things you can’t simulate in practice. And it’s not Spring Training.”

Would the Phillies become a World Series favorite if they got Skubal? Yes, according to Bleacher Report.

“Even though he’s working his way back from elbow surgery, even though it’s just for a couple of months and even though the prorated salary is darn near $10M, it doesn’t get more desirable than this superstar who has made six starts with a 2.04 ERA across the past two Octobers,” Kerry Miller wrote. “Skubal getting traded could alter post-deadline World Series odds like nothing we’ve seen before. (Unless he gets traded to the Dodgers, in which case we further brace ourselves for the impending lockout.)”

What players should the Phillies avoid in trade scenarios?

Twins OF Byron Buxton

The goal for the Phillies is to win the World Series, right? And Buxton is a talented bat. He would fit nicely in the middle of the Phillies’ order.

However, you can’t count on him to stay healthy. He might be available for 60 games, or perhaps 20. And what if the inevitable injury happens in mid-September? Whatever the Phillies gave up for him would turn into a gift for the Twins.

Mets OF Luis Robert Jr.

It’s a similar story to Buxton in terms of health. And Robert is already dealing with a pretty significant injury.

But a bigger factor here is that Robert has been an average ballplayer for two years running. Teams can pay for the 2023 version, but they probably won’t get that. Or even close to that.