The Philadelphia Phillies have been the subject of numerous rumours in the run-up to the MLB trade deadline, including prospective trade targets and players the team is not interested in pursuing. Two more of Philadelphia’s targeted players have been identified.
While the Phillies lead the MLB rankings, there is still much space for growth. According to FanGraphs, the club is 16th in bullpen ERA (4.00) and 26th in OPS (.653) heading into today’s MLB games.
Some recent Phillies rumours have also linked the team to starting pitching, implying that Philadelphia may aim to improve the back end of its rotation. Regarding the organization’s key needs – outfield and bullpen – a couple of Phillies trade targets have surfaced.
According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Philadelphia Phillies are interested in Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas and Nationals reliever Kyle Finnegan.
Thomas, 28, is having a breakout season in Washington. He is one of the fastest MLB players in 2024, with 26 thefts and a respectable.714 OPS, 13 doubles, and 8 home runs. Just as importantly for Philadelphia, Thomas is under team control next season and will be paid less than half of his remaining salary ($5.45 million) for this year.
Finnegan, 32, would add another competent right-handed reliever to the Phillies’ bullpen. Finnegan’s ERA is 2.32 in 42.2 innings pitched this season, with a 26% strikeout rate, 0.98 WHIP, and.181 batting average allowed. Finnegan, who is under contract with the organization until 2025, has made 28 of 32 saves this season.
Leave a Reply