The Philadelphia Phillies are still in the postseason conversation despite a slow start to the season. Philadelphia currently holds a 39-33 record. While the ball club is still 7.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East standings, the Phillies look like they will at least be able to contend for a National League Wild Card spot. The Phillies could use an offensive boost, however, and trading for Minnesota Twins star Byron Buxton is a move that would make sense.
Buxton has emerged as an MVP candidate this season. Meanwhile, the Phillies could look to trade for an outfielder before the deadline. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal recently shared an update on the Phillies’ potential trade plans. While he did not specifically mention Buxton, Rosenthal talked about Philadelphia’s possible outfield interest, via Foul Territory.
“Even with Brandon Marsh becoming one of the league’s best hitters, their outfield is way below par,” Rosenthal said. “So, they do need to do something, and (Dave) Dombrowski is someone who routinely will go for moves that he thinks will put his team over the top… I expect him to go out there and try to get the best outfielder he can.”
The Phillies’ outfield has indeed been underwhelming aside from Marsh. Marsh is currently hitting .324 to go along with an .851 OPS. However, Justin Crawford and Edmundo Sosa are among the outfielders on the roster who have struggled. Additionally, Adolis Garcia was recently placed on the injured list.
Trading for an outfielder unquestionably makes sense. The Phillies would need to surrender no shortage of talented prospects for Buxton, however.
Byron Buxton’s potential fit with Phillies
Buxton, 32, is under contract through the 2028 campaign. While the Twins may not end up trading him, there is a chance the ball club will at least consider the idea of moving on from him. The Twins have been inconsistent and trading Buxton would allow them to receive talented prospects.
Buxton is hitting .276/.335/.606 as of this story’s writing. He also has 23 home runs and 13 triples. Buxton is on pace to shatter his previous career-high in home runs, as he hit 35 long balls a season ago.
While the Phillies’ outfield certainly needs a boost, the entire offense would benefit from another slugger in the lineup. Philadelphia is just 24th in runs scored, 27th in hits, 29th in batting average and 28th in home runs. The Phillies are still 10th in total home runs, as Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper lead the way.
Nevertheless, acquiring Buxton is a move the Phillies will surely consider if the Twins do make the star outfielder available.
Will this trade happen?
The Phillies do not have the best farm system in baseball. In fact, an MLB.com article from March ranked their farm system 20th overall in the game. So, will the Phillies have enough intriguing prospects to catch the Twins’ attention?
Well, Philadelphia could always get creative. Perhaps they would not do the standard three or four prospects for a star trade. The Phillies could look to include a player on the MLB roster in the deal. The player would surely need to have multiple years of team control remaining, but building a package around a talented MLB player or two to go along with prospects with bright futures may entice the Twins.
Will this trade happen? Only time will tell, but the Phillies reaching out to the Twins about a potential Byron Buxton deal makes sense without question.
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