As teams scramble to make decisions on MLB trade deadline day, the Philadelphia Phillies may be done with their wheeling and dealing. The team with the best record in Major League Baseball made two impact trades over the last five days, acquiring outfielder Austin Hays and reliever Carlos Estevez.
The Phillies were a World Series contender before they made those trades and expect to improve with their new additions. There is always room for one more move though and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is doing his due diligence to ensure Philly doesn’t miss out on an opportunity to add a difference-making player.
There are not many holes Philadelphia has to fill. With eight All-Stars on the roster and several other players who got the honor in previous seasons, the Phillies boast one of the sport's strongest and most talented rosters. However, it's anticipated that they'll try to add another bullpen arm before Tuesday's deadline despite the acquisition of Estevez.
The price of pitching has skyrocketed this year, as evidenced by the haul the Phillies gave up for Estevez and the trio of prospects the Houston Astros flipped for Yusei Kikuchi. Dombrowski has never been afraid to cough up high-level prospects for a sure thing major leaguer and the Phillies have prospects other teams are interested in.
Every MLB trade deadline gives us a shocking deal that no one saw coming. The Phillies probably won’t engage in that type of negotiation on deadline day, but another significant trade for a reliever shouldn’t surprise the Philly fanbase.
Phillies win bullpen sweepstakes with latest All-Star addition
There have been stretches this season where one facet of the Phillies team struggles. The offense went through a rough patch to start the season while the pitching staff put up otherworldly numbers. As the lineup caught fire, the starting rotation fumbled through a few turns with injuries playing a factor. Now, it's the Phillies bullpen that's in a rut.
Philadelphia relievers have a 6.60 ERA in July, the second-worst bullpen ERA in Major League Baseball during the month. It's brought their season ERA to league average as the Phillies rank 15th with a 4.07 ERA.
There is reason to believe Phillies relievers can return to form, but supplementing the bullpen with another late-inning option, particularly a left-handed pitcher, would make fans happy. That's where Miami Marlins closer Tanner Scott enters the picture.
Philadelphia has been mentioned several times as a possible landing spot for Scott, who was an MLB All-Star for the first time earlier this month. Acquiring him makes sense, but it would come at a premium cost, more than what Philly dished to the Los Angeles Angels for Carlos Estevez.
Scott is considered one of the best relievers available on the trade market and is “100 percent” expected to be traded, according to MLB insider Joel Sherman. The Marlins already began their fire sale on Tuesday, dealing starting pitcher Trevor Rogers to the Baltimore Orioles and first baseman Josh Bell to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Miami will net a lot more for Scott than they did for either Rogers or Bell despite the left-handed reliever being set to become a free agent after the season. The Phillies would probably be able to keep their top eight or so prospects, but if they view Tanner Scott as a player who can significantly help them win a World Series this year, they might be willing to part with a top prospect.
What Tanner Scott can bring to Philly
Tanner Scott is among the league's best relievers in his seventh full season in the majors. He has a 1.18 ERA in 45 2/3 innings, adding 18 saves in 20 opportunities with a .127 batting average against.
Among the underlying numbers for Scott is an outstanding road ERA since the start of last season. He has a 1.46 ERA in over 55 innings of work away from home during that span. His only blemish this year is a walk-off two-run home run he allowed to J.D. Martinez on June 13.
Premier left-handed relievers are hard to come by and Scott is one of them. The Phillies like to think they already have one in Jose Alvarado but his struggles have reached a breaking point that Philly might not be able to overlook much longer. Alvarado has an 8.64 ERA in July.
Matt Strahm is among the best lefty bullpen arms this year and also earned his first All-Star nod in his second season in Philly. He's accumulated the most fWAR among left-handed relievers in 2024 according to FanGraphs and is fourth in ERA with Scott leading the pack.
Adding Tanner Scott to the tandem of Strahm and Jeff Hoffman, who owns the second-lowest ERA among qualified relievers, would give the Phillies a three-headed monster in the later innings. That doesn’t even include Carlos Estevez, who's recorded 51 saves since 2023.
The Phillies have used a closer by committee approach this year, but it'd be hard to see them not slot Scott into the role if they acquire him. Teams without a set closer have won championships before, but it would make Rob Thomson's job much easier in October if he had a go-to guy in the ninth.
Philadelphia's bullpen decisions cost them a National League pennant and a potential World Series title in 2023. Trading for Tanner Scott would seriously lessen the risk of that happening again.
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