Philadelphia Phillies Eyeing Blockbuster Trade with Division Rival

The Philadelphia Phillies are reportedly considering a huge trade with the Washington Nationals.

Jun 24, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski. / John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

Coming out of the All-Star Break, the Philadelphia Phillies knew they had two major needs to address before next Tuesday's trade deadline: an outfield bat and a relief pitcher.

Their recent road trip only confirmed that, as they lost four of six to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins.

Wednesday's series finale against the Twins was especially painful, with the Phillies blowing a 4-1 lead in the late innings and losing 5-4 in walk-off fashion. Both of their issues were on full display, as center fielder Johan Rojas went 0-for-2 and the bullpen coughed up a three-run lead with nine outs to go, squandering six innings of one-run ball from Aaron Nola.

Rojas has been a black hole at the plate this year, batting an anemic .231/.268/.295 with three home runs and 23 RBI in 77 games. He's shown no signs of turning things around, either, going 2-for-12 with four strikeouts over his last six games.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia could use another reliable bullpen arm to complement Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm. Jose Alvarado (4.24 ERA), Seranthony Dominguez (4.75 ERA) and Gregory Soto (1.55 WHIP) have all struggled with consistency at the end of games.

Fortunately for the Phillies, the answers to their problems can be found right in their own division.

It was a rough road trip for the bullpen, and it could influence how the Phillies operate at the deadline. Where things stand: https://t.co/Szt2GI68EL

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) July 24, 2024

According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, "The Washington Nationals are a team to monitor. The Phillies are interested in hard-throwing reliever Kyle Finnegan and outfielder Lane Thomas, according to multiple major-league sources."

While intra-division trades are rare, Dave Dombrowski can make a deal with almost anyone.

It helps that the Washington Nationals are eight games below .500 and still rebuilding, so they know they're not going to compete with Philadelphia this year.

Finnegan would give the Phillies the shutdown closer they sorely need. The All-Star reliever has been lights-out this season with 28 saves, a 2.32 ERA an a 0.98 WHIP. Meanwhile, Thomas would represent a considerable upgrade over Rojas offensively. He's coming off a 20/20 season and is a career .250/.314/.430 hitter.

Philadelphia would need to part with considerable young talent to acquire these two veterans, but that's never been an issue for Dombrowski.

The Phillies could also target just one of the two, in which case Thomas is probably the more pressing need. Either way, a trade is needed to shore up the holes on their roster and give them the best possible chance of winning the World Series.

If Philadelphia does swing a big trade with Washington, it could shake up the NL East for years to come.