Aside from a shaky bullpen, the Philadelphia Phillies have one of the most complete Major League Baseball rosters and are among the few teams with genuine World Series aspirations. They sit atop the National League East, but it’s shaping to be a tight division race with the New York Mets down the stretch.
However, Philadelphia desperately needs bullpen help as they rank at the bottom of the league in terms of ERA. If they don’t pull off this blockbuster trade idea, they will only have a couple of southpaws as an option at the end of games.
For the Minnesota Twins, after slipping a bit coming out of the All-Star break, it’s safe to assume they likely aren’t going to compete for a Wild Card spot, and could head towards being sellers.
Phillies Land Danny Coulombe from Twins
The Twins will probably receive calls on several of their highly-touted relievers. Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran have been the subject of some rumors. Still, the Philadelphia Phillies should inquire about lefty Danny Coulombe, who quietly has a microscopic 0.65 ERA this season in 27.2 innings. He’s set to be a free agent following this season, so that the 35-year-old southpaw could serve as just a rental addition. The Phillies will get José Alvarado back from suspension, but he will be ineligible for the postseason, and again, the Phillies could use another lefty.
In a trade piece, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com recently wrote that the Phillies should ‘Buy, buy, buy’.
“But how much? And at what cost? The Phillies need a stud, late-inning reliever, preferably right-handed. But they could use two relievers to help a shaky bullpen. Are the Phils willing to trade one or more of their top prospects to make it happen? The Phillies could use a right-handed-hitting outfielder, too, unless they believe Otto Kemp is the answer. Of course, a big trade doesn’t guarantee anything and that’s a risk the Phils’ front office must weigh: Mortgage the future for something that’s far from guaranteed or not?”
The good thing about trading for Coulombe is that he likely wouldn’t cost the Phillies too much capital, as he could just be in Philadelphia for the rest of this season.
What the Twins should expect in a return package
So, what would a return deal look like for one of the best lefties potentially available at the deadline?
The Phillies deal away their third-ranked prospect, Justin Crawford, in this potential trade idea. This may be “too much” if you ask Philadelphia faithful, but the Twins would likely ask for a high-tier prospect for a guy in Coulombe who has been incredible this season. If the Phillies don’t add Coulombe, they could also be in the market for both of the Twins’ powerful right-handed relievers in Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax.
Regardless, expect the Phillies to make a splash in the reliever market. They are all in this season after having one of MLB’s best starting rotations and overall rosters.
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