Philadelphia Phillies Must Avoid Blockbuster Trade Proposal With St. Louis Cardinals

The Philadelphia Phillies shouldn't trade two top prospects for the St. Louis Cardinals players.

Sep 25, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third base Nolan Arenado (28) reacts in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The offseason will give the Philadelphia Phillies an opportunity to get creative in improving their roster for the next campaign.

The Phillies have enough talent to win a World Series if things go their way, but there are a few marginal moves the ball club could make to help them finally win a ring.

They have the prospects to move in most trades, the biggest thing a team could have this winter. If a star player becomes available this offseason, there aren't many other teams around Major League Baseball that could put together a package as impressive as Philadelphia's.

The front office has been hesitant to include those players in past trades, but that doesn't mean they won't pull the trigger this time around. 

The Phillies are in about as much of a win-now situation as any team in baseball, putting some pressure on the front office to get the job done.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently discussed a deal. However, it's one Philadelphia should avoid.

A reader proposed a trade for Bowden that would send Mick Abel, Justin Crawford, and Taijuan Walker to the St. Louis Cardinals for Ryan Helsley and Nolan Arenado. Bowden, however, doesn't think the Cardinals would accept that deal.

"I think the Cardinals say no. They don’t want Walker, who logged a 7.10 ERA last season. Abel, 23, has command and control question marks — he averaged 6.5 walks per nine innings this year at Triple A — and they already have a Crawford-type center-field prospect in Victor Scott II. But from the Phillies’ perspective, I love your idea as long as the Cardinals pay down Arenado’s contract. (He’s owed $73 million over the next three years, $10 million of which will be paid by Colorado; Walker is owed $36 million over the next two years.)"

Despite Bowden not believing St. Louis would take this deal, it's tough to find why the Phillies would do it, either.

Arenado is a future Hall of Famer. However, his recent play hasn't been what Philadelphia needs in this type of trade. Adding Helsley would help the bullpen, but moving two high-level prospects for him would be interesting when they could use them in bigger deals.

That doesn't mean Arenado or Helsley shouldn't be traded for if the Phillies have a chance to land them. Arenado, especially, would be an interesting target if they move on from Alec Bohm.

He's struggled recently, but it isn't out of the question that he'll improve and return to form eventually.

If the package is favorable, Philadelphia should give him a look. That's the only scenario where a trade would make sense.