Philadelphia Phillies Top Trade Target Has 'Massive' Value

The Philadelphia Phillies trade candidate would require a huge haul in a deal.

Jun 19, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Mason Miller (19) pitches the ball against the Kansas City Royals during the ninth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

As the Philadelphia Phillies gear up for the MLB trade deadline, look for them to be aggressive. Dave Dombrowski is never one to shy away from adding talent to his roster, and with an obvious chance of winning a World Series, that won't change this year.

The Phillies don't have many areas that they need to improve. Rumors have indicated that they'll look for an outfielder, and similar to all contending teams, adding pitching never hurts.

Their top trade target appears to be Mason Miller if he gets dealt. Miller has a case to be the best closer in baseball and would add another dominant arm to a Philadelphia bullpen that's already been above average.

The question for the front office is who they're willing to trade. The Oakland Athletics are arguably the worst team in baseball, so they'll certainly be searching for some of the Phillies' top prospects in return.

But would moving Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller, or Mick Abel for a relief pitcher make sense? One could argue that it does, given their chances of winning now, but that'd be a huge price to pay for a relief pitcher.

However, in the Athletics scenario, there isn't much of a reason to trade Miller unless they get that type of package.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported what a few executives around the league had to say about his trade value. One AL executive said, "The return would be massive."

“The return would be massive,” an American League executive said. “You could potentially backfill your system with some solid talent.

"There is health risk there for any team acquiring him – and therefore risk to hold him long-term. Without contending anytime soon, I think they shop but might not sell.”

Another executive argued that with Oakland moving to Las Vegas, it could make sense to move him now for future impact players.

“He is young with control and acquiring him would require a haul of impact guys,” an NL executive said.

“If the A’s truly aren’t going to spend the money or commitment to the team until they are in Vegas, it might make sense to move him for young, impactful future players. I think moving him with a look to the future makes sense.”

Painter, Miller, and Abel are just that.

While his price is high, it doesn't necessarily mean they'll have to move one of their top three prospects. It'd, however, make sense if one of them is involved.

It's a tough decision, but something they'll have to think about if they believe he puts them over the top for a World Series.