Trade market exposing Phillies' lack of depth

MLB insider Jim Bowden reported that the Phillies also submitted an offer for Tucker in the form of Bohm and OF Nick Castellanos, which the Astros rejected. Houston cited Bohm's defense as a deal-breaker.

The Phillies' inability to meet the asking price for Crochet, but especially Tucker, further exposed their vulnerability on the trade market. 

Beyond Miller, Crawford and No. 2 SP Andrew Painter, the Phillies lack the prospect depth to get an impactful deal done. Painter seems to be a hot commodity on the trade market, with teams insistent upon him being included in trade packages — but Philadelphia won't budge on the young right-hander, even though he could bring back a high-level player.

No. 4 prospect Starlyn Caba and No. 6 prospect Mick Abel could potentially be included in a deal, but Caba has only seen as high as the High-A level, while Abel has struggled the last few seasons after being drafted 15th overall in 2020. Taking these projects on doesn't appear to be attractive to MLB teams.

For the most part, every team has prospects they deem “untouchable,” but aside from that trio, Philadelphia doesn't possess much else that could get a trade done. And at the major league level, their tradable assets are even thinner. 

In addition to Castellanos and Bohm, outfielder Brandon Marsh was the only MLB-level player mentioned in trade talks. However, the Phillies are reportedly "less inclined" (h/t OnPattison) to part ways with him now. As the denied Tucker deal exemplified, what each player could acquire isn't encouraging.

Teel, Paredes, Wesneski, etc., all have upside, while Castellanos, Marsh and Bohm are all coming off good but not great years and have all seen their stock go down. Moreover, finding a team willing to take on the rest of Castellanos’ five-year, $100 million contract would be difficult. 

It appears the Phillies have backed themselves into a corner. While upgrades are available on the trade market, they don't have what it takes to acquire them. Still, there is a lot of offseason left for the club to find the right deal to strengthen their team in 2025.