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Phillies Could Trade Top Prospect Amid Questions Surrounding MLB Debut

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 4:30 PM ET

One has to question what the Philadelphia Phillies are doing with outfielder Justin Crawford. All Crawford has done throughout his professional career is tear things up in the minors.

At some point, everybody is just wasting their time.

However, some believe that Dave Dombrowski's decision not to call him up could be a signal of what's to come, including Zachary Rotman, who noted that because of the Phillies unwillingness to call Crawford up, it could signal that he’s part of a trade deadline deal that the Phillies want to eventually make.

"Dave Dombrowski, for whatever reason, has shied away from making the massive blockbuster he's been known for in other organizations, though," Rotman wrote . "Hopefully, this year will be different in that regard. In that vein, I'll predict the Phillies part with Justin Crawford at the deadline for the simple reason that they don't seem to believe in him enough to have given him a look by this point.

"Crawford is one of their top prospects and he's torn up Triple-A this season, yet, despite their outfield play this season, they haven't given him the call. I get the concerns with his hit tool, but it's still surprising that he hasn't gotten a look. If they don't feel comfortable playing him in the majors at this point, they might as well see what they can get for him at the deadline."

The Phillies are expected to be aggressive at the deadline, and making somebody like Crawford available would help them accomplish that.

Calling him up and proving that he can play at the highest level would only help that, but there's also a scenario where it could hurt. For the Phillies, they have to be careful, as they don't want to tank his value right before the deadline.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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