As the July 31 trade deadline creeps ever closer, indications grow even louder that the Philadelphia Phillies will attempt to make significant additions to their roster.
Even if that means significant subtractions from the Phillies’ prospect pool.
During an appearance Friday on the “Foul Territory” podcast, MLB insider Jayson Stark said Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has a very high opinion of how good his team could possibly be this season. Especially considering the game-after-game quality of Philadelphia’s starting staff – led by Zach Wheeler (2.36 ERA), Christopher Sanchez (2.50) and Ranger Suarez (2.66) – which currently leads Major League Baseball in strikeouts with 597, while posting the second-best ERA overall at 3.32.
“He has this sense about his team that, with the right move or moves, they can win the World Series,” Stark said. “That everybody else is beatable – their team, too – but they have that team that nobody wants to play because of their pitching, right?”
And Stark said he is hearing that Dombrowski will take an all-in approach at this year’s deadline.
“I ran into a guy in Atlanta who has talked to Dave, and he said he thinks Dave is geared up to do something huge,” Stark said. “He’s got his prospect chips ready to go.”
Mick Abel Could Be Among Phillies’ ‘Prospect Chips’ Used at Trade Deadline
Mick Abel, ranked No. 5 in that basket of prospect chips, has definitely increased his trade stock over the past 10 days. After making his MLB debut in a spot start on My 18, the 23-year-old was brought back in early June when Aaron Nola went on the injured list and made five starts for the Phillies, but he struggled in the last two of those outings and was sent to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on July 4.
Abel has been dominant in his two starts since returning to the IronPigs. On July 10 he gave up one hit and one walk with four strikeouts in six innings against Syracuse, and then last night, Abel allowed two hits and two walks with five strikeouts in another six-inning stint, this time to beat Rochester.
“It was very good, we haven’t talked about him coming back, but that’s back-to-back starts now,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said this morning. “He threw strikes. He only gave up two hits and a couple walks and for the most part he threw strikes and got his secondary pitches over, so that was a good report.”
MLB Analyst’s Proposal Sees Phillies Trade Mick Abel for Athletics Closer Mason Miller
Abel’s latest efforts have likely piqued the interest of Philadelphia’s potential trade partners. In fact, Quinn Everts of FanSided suggested that the Athletics “couldn’t say no to” a chance at acquiring the No. 15 overall pick from the 2020 draft.
In an analysis of possible destinations for Athletics closer Mason Miller, Everts cited the Phillies’ desperate need for a high-leverage reliever. Miller, in just his second full MLB season, already has 47 career saves, 19 of them in 2025, while posting a 4.04 ERA. The 27-year-old right-hander is under club control through 2029 and will be in his first year of arbitration eligibility beginning in 2026, so it would take substantial piece to obtain his services. Everts believes Abel can be that piece, proposing a 1-for-1 swap of the pitchers.
“The Phillies get the late-inning reliever they need (and a few years of team control) and the Athletics get another Top 100 pitching prospect who can potentially form one of the best future big league rotations with Gage Jump and Luis Morales,” Everts opined. “Philly fans have already taken a liking to Abel, but there might not be a place for him in the Phils rotation for the next few years. There would, however, be a clear place for Mason Miller.”
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