Philadelphia Phillies Trade Proposal Moves Two Top-100 Prospects for Left-Hander

A Philadelphia Phillies trade pitch would help them form the best rotation in Major League Baseball.

Apr 19, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (45) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are expected to be aggressive this winter.

If they have an opportunity to trade or sign for a player they believe could help them win a World Series in 2025, the Phillies will pursue that option.

There are many possibilities, and unlike many other teams in Major League Baseball, Philadelphia is in an excellent position. Not only has the ownership group shown its willingness to spend money, but its top-rated pipeline should help them acquire players on the trade market.

Having the level of farm system the Phillies do is important.

While many ball clubs look for those players to become big pieces to their future, Philadelphia needs to take a different approach and move them for win-now players.

Prospect hugging isn't a good idea in most scenarios, and while the Phillies shouldn't trade all of their youngsters, it's time to move on from some.

In a recent trade pitch from Elijah Evans of Just Baseball, Philadelphia would do just that to acquire Garrett Crochet.

His package included two top 100 MLB prospects with Eduardo Tait, Starlyn Caba, Gabriel Rincones Jr., and Michael Mercado in the deal.

"After a step forward in the regular season, as they finally took the NL East from the Atlanta Braves, the Phillies fell flat against the Mets in the playoffs. In the past three postseasons, the Phillies have experienced less and less success, going from the World Series loss in 2022 to the NLCS in 2023, and then now getting eliminated in the NLDS in 2024... Securing another star arm to slot in behind Zack Wheeler, while having Andrew Painter on the way, would make this the best rotation in baseball heading into 2025."

Two top 100 prospects for Crochet would be a big price, but if the Phillies believe he'd help put them over the top, it wouldn't be a bad deal.

There are concerns about him slowing down a bit in the near future, though.

Last year was his first campaign as a full-time starter. The left-hander threw the baseball at an excellent level, but more innings on his arm might not do him much good.

Most importantly, Philadelphia would have to worry about him getting injured.

If the Phillies get the pitcher he was in 2024 moving forward, it's safe to say they'd have the best rotation in baseball. He struck out 209 hitters and posted a 3.58 ERA in 146.0 innings pitched, a dominant showing from the Mississippi native.