Philadelphia Phillies Rising Star Pitcher Could Be Best Trade Chip at Deadline

It has not been a good recent stretch for the Philadelphia Phillies, who have recently fallen way back in the National League East.

Despite what was a great month of May for the most part for the Phillies, the team has recently hit quite a rut.

With expectations being so high for Philadelphia coming into the year, them not winning the division, and potentially not performing well in October would be seen as a massive failure.

There are a lot of veterans for this current core on expiring deals, making it even more important to try and win now. However, this is a team that is plagued with the same issues that resulted in them being eliminated by the New York Mets in the NLDS last campaign.

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Currently, the bullpen has had some issues with inconsistencies from the unit and some key members struggling. Furthermore, the outfield continues to lack the necessary offensive production.

With expectations being high and the team having multiple areas of need, the Phillies are likely going to have to be aggressive this summer on the trade market. Due to Philadelphia having a strong farm system, they should be able to fix some issues.

Who is Their Best Trade Chip?

Paul Casella of MLB.com recently wrote about the top trade chip for the team being starting pitcher and former top prospect Mick Abel.

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“Not too long ago, he seemed expendable with the Phillies' greatest strength being their rotation depth, but that's been tested recently with the injury to Aaron Nola and the sudden struggles of Jesús Luzardo. That may give the Phillies pause when it comes to offering up Abel," he wrote

Coming into the campaign, the starting rotation figured to be one of the best in baseball for Philadelphia. To begin the season, they got off to a strong start, but there have been some recent reasons to be concerned.

Aaron Nola is currently on the injured list and didn’t pitch well before that. Furthermore, the last couple of starts for Jesus Luzardo have been horrific, and in the blink of an eye, he’s not going to be in the running for the NL Cy Young.

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While they might be hesitant to trade a starter with some sudden issues, Abel has been excellent this year in both the Majors and minors. In 10 starts in the minors this campaign, he has totaled a 6-2 record and 2.21 ERA.

Things have gone just as well in the Majors, with the young pitcher totaling a 1-0 record and 0.79 ERA in two starts.

With a lot of needs elsewhere, moving Abel could be a route the franchise elects to help address areas that require improvements.

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