The Philadelphia Phillies are the best team right now in the National League based on their record. Their 45-20 record is better than nine games than the rest of their competition in the National League East division.
But just because they are dominating their rivals in the standings, it doesn't mean that they're not going to bother checking out what's out there for them ahead of the rapidly approaching 2024 MLB trade deadline, which is on July 30.
Luis Robert Jr. rumors link outfielder to the Phillies
With that said, the Phillies appear to have some plans. Big plans. They are already being linked to Chicago White Sox outfielders Luis Robert Jr. and Tommy Pham, with Jim Bowden of The Athletic saying that Philadelphia is seeing the appeal in the two players.
“The Phillies have been the National League’s best team but aren’t resting on their laurels. They’re looking to improve their overall outfield and have interest in Luis Robert Jr. and Tommy Pham. The Phillies and White Sox do match up well on a blockbuster-type deal. Robert is under team control through 2027 on a club-friendly deal. The Phillies are in on outfielder Jake McCarthy of the Diamondbacks as well. It’s believed they could also add a reliever.”
Between Robert and Pham, it's the former that is the bigger get. Robert is just 26 years old (will turn 27 in August) and is a controllable asset for several years to come, thanks to the White Sox signing him to a six-year contract extension worth $50 million back in 2020. As it stands, the White Sox have club options on Robert worth $20 million each for the 2026 and 2027 MLB seasons.
The White Sox aren't doing better, and that's putting it lightly. At the time of this writing, Chicago has the worst record in the big leagues by a lot, as they only have 17 victories to show through 67 games. No other team at this point of the season has fewer than 22 wins. In the same article by Bowden, he noted that the White Sox essentially are willing to listen to offers to every player they have, including Robert. That means the Phillies can expect strong competition if they are to vie for Robert or Pham (or both for that matter).
“The White Sox have no untouchables on their major-league roster. They’re willing to trade all of their best players including outfielders Luis Robert Jr., Eloy Jiménez and Tommy Pham as well as starters Garrett Crochet and Erick Fedde and reliever Michael Kopech. Bottom line: They’re going to have a fire sale and aim to add as many good prospects as they can and make as many trades as possible.”
Robert has appeared in only 13 games in 2024, having just returned to action recently after nearly two months of absence due to a hip injury. In only 55 plate appearances to date, Robert has hit only .192 with five home runs and eight RBIs. Back in 2023, though, Robert was solid for the White Sox. He slashed .264/.315/.542 with a 129 OPS+, 38 home runs, and 80 RBIs while also earning his first career All-Star nod. That's the Robert the Phillies prefer to get via such a trade with the White Sox.
The Phillies outfield
The outfield is an intriguing area for the Phillies. For one, they are just 26th in MLB with an outfield wRC+ of 86 and an fWAR of 1.0 — 24th overall (via FanGraphs). David Dahl, a former All-Star with the Colorado Rockies, was recently called to the big leagues by Philly amid the injuries in the outfield to Brandon Marsh and Kody Clemens.
Dahl has produced great numbers, albeit off a small sample size (.667/.667/1.833 with two home runs in his first six plate appearances with the Phillies). However, outside of Dahl and Marsh, no other Phillies outfielder has a better wRC+ this season than 81.
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