Insider Predicts Phillies Acquire Former NL Saves Leader in Blockbuster Trade

The Philadelphia Phillies would get a huge boost to their bullpen if they're able to pull off this trade.

Jul 28, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Camilo Doval (75) reacts against the Colorado Rockies during the ninth inning at Oracle Park / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

It's well known by now the Philadelphia Phillies have to figure out their bullpen situation this winter.

With two of their best relievers, Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez, becoming free agents, there's a chance the backend unit looks completely different in 2025 and beyond.

The Phillies haven't ruled out bringing one of the two back, but based on the contracts they are likely to receive and other areas on the roster the front office has to improve, the chances the duo returns to Philadelphia are very slim.

They could turn to the free agency market to address this clear need with high-profile arms like Tanner Scott on the market, but that would also require them to hand out an expensive contract they might be looking to avoid.

So how might they add an elite reliever?

Robert Murray of FanSided predicts they will pull off a trade to acquire former NL saves leader Camilo Doval from the San Francisco Giants.

"I think he has a real chance of getting traded and going to a different team could help unleash him after a down season that saw him get demoted from the closer role. I could absolutely see the Phillies being a team that pokes around here," the insider writes.

That would be huge.

Not only has Doval been one of the premier relievers in Major League Baseball since he debuted in 2021 with a 3.33 ERA and 121 ERA+ across his 228 appearances, but he's also under club control for the next three seasons, giving the Phillies a cost controlled high-end arm for multiple years.

The Giants moved the right-hander out of the closer role and even sent him down to the minors for a brief stretch at one point this past season because of his struggles, but he's just two years removed from his All-Star season in 2023 when he was tied for the National League lead with 39 saves.

It's not clear what San Francisco would be looking for in return.

At 27 years old, he still has a bright future ahead of him, and the fact he's arbitration eligible for three more seasons could make their asking price high. But the Phillies have done a good of building up their pipeline, and because he's a reliever, they likely won't have to ship out any of their best prospects.

This should be something Philadelphia has interest in at the very least.

Not only would they solve a major piece of the puzzle by bringing in a bullpen arm, but because he's cost controlled, that would allow them to allocate money elsewhere.