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Phillies Get Bad News on Rumored Blockbuster Trade Candidate

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jacob Mountz | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 9:30 PM ET

The Jose Alvarado suspension had already stung the Phillies’ relief corps, but the continued struggles from Jordan Romano have only exacerbated their ineffectiveness and shallow depth. These factors have contributed to a lackluster 4.58 bullpen ERA, seventh worst in the game.

Recent rumors suggested Félix Bautista would be the ideal solution to shore up the Phillies’ most glaring vulnerability. Having returned this season after recovering from Tommy John, Bautista has pitched to a 3.32 ERA. In his last seven games, Bautista has given up just one run, indicating he may be settling back in and may soon find the form that helped him produce a 1.48 ERA in 2023.

Unfortunately for the Phillies, acquiring Bautista may not be in the cards. MLB insiders for The Athletic, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon, appeared to pour cold water on Félix Bautista rumors when they suggested the Orioles will more than likely keep him.

“The Baltimore Orioles will be sellers, that much is fairly obvious,” they write. “But as they point toward a possible return to contention in 2026, it would behoove them to be buyers, too … Relievers Andrew Kittredge and Félix Bautista also could be in demand, but the Orioles control both beyond this season, Kittredge through a $9 million club option, Bautista through two years of arbitration.

“Bautista, earning a relatively paltry $1 million this season, is an interesting case. Coming off Tommy John surgery, his strikeout rate from his last healthy campaign in 2023 has dropped from 46.1 percent to 30.1, and his walk rate has increased from 11 percent to 17.2. So, this probably is not the best time to extract maximum value for him. And in 2026, when he is another year removed from surgery, he could be an important part of Baltimore’s club.”

Rosenthal and Sammon note the plethora of trade chips the Orioles boast in their walk year, such as Zach Eflin, Tomoyuki Sugano, Charlie Morton, Ryan O’Hearn, Cedric Mullins, Seranthony Dominguez, Gregory Soto, and Gary Sánchez.

Given the Orioles already have enough to spark a quick, one-year rebuild, trading valuable pieces like Bautista isn’t necessary. If this is the case, the Phillies are better off spending their time searching elsewhere.

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

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