The Philadelphia Phillies have been fantastic this season, putting them in prime position to win the National League if they take care of business in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline.
Obviously, the Phillies will be looking for a right-handed outfielder and depth players. That is well-documented news at this stage. However, they also need to upgrade their pitchers. That may sound surprising given that the Phillies recently established an All-Star Game record by selecting five pitchers, but they might still use some help at the bottom of their depth chart.
And the San Francisco Giants have the perfect answer to their prayers: closer Camilo Doval.
MLB analyst Bob Nightengale stated that if the Giants aren’t contenders in the next two weeks, they may consider selling.
“If the San Francisco Giants sell at the trade deadline, teams will pounce on 27-year-old closer Camilo Doval, despite his struggles,” Nightengale pointed out.
Doval with his triple digit cutter would mesh well with Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm, and the rest of the Phillies’ bullpen.
If the Giants decide to sell, the Phillies might trade for 27-year-old Doval, who has struggled this season. His WHIP has risen to 1.60, while his ERA is above 4.00. He’s being hit harder than usual while walking more than he’s used to. Nonetheless, his FIP remains in the mid 3.00s, implying that his ERA will likely fall in the future.
Still, he was an All-Star last season and is signed to a contract that includes three more years of team control. If the Giants decide to deal him now, the Phillies and the rest of the league should act quickly before his worth rises again.
Typically, a reliever would not yield two top-15 prospects. But Doval isn’t the typical reliever who would be dealt before of the deadline. He has far more team control than the typical rental reliever in most circumstances.
De La Cruz and McGowan are two prospects on the verge of making it to the major leagues, both of whom are older and more developed than others.
De La Cruz is hitting.263/.333/.423 in 2024 across two minor league levels. He has the potential to be a great player due to his size (6-8) and exceptional physical abilities. McGowan has only thrown 14.1 innings this season, and he has some command concerns, but runs aren’t scoring against him. He may end up as a reliever in the long run, but his stuff is now excellent enough to compete at the Double-A or Triple-A levels.
Adding Doval would improve an already good bullpen. It would allow the Phillies to shorten games even further, reducing load on their lineup and starting rotation.
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