Proposed Philadelphia Phillies Trade Would Land Slugger for Favorable Package

The Philadelphia Phillies would get a one-time All-Star and massive slugger in a proposed trade.

Jul 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Oakland Athletics outfielder Brent Rooker (25) watches his two-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies got a taste of their own medicine over the weekend against the Oakland Athletics.

Losing two of three and dropping the series finale 18-3, it was a weekend to forget for the Phillies as they head into the All-Star break. They did, however, get a front-row look at a player who they reportedly have an interest in, as Brent Rooker went 2-2 on Sunday with two home runs and five RBI.

Rooker, 29 years old, has 21 home runs on the season and an OPS of .942, ranking 12th in all of baseball in OPS and tied for the 13th most home runs.

Due to the Athletics struggles, although they've played better than they did a year ago, the expectation is for them to be sellers. It's uncertain how much they're going to sell, but Rooker's value might never be higher, and trading him now might be the best plan for Oakland.

He's arbitration-eligible in 2025 but doesn't hit free agency until 2028.

Zach Pressnell of FanSided put together a trade package that has Philadelphia land the slugger in a deal the Phillies should jump on if it presents itself.

His trade proposal would move Devin Saltiban and Gabriel Rincones Jr., two top 10 prospects in their system, according to MLB.com.

"A month ago, nobody would have imagined that Rooker could fetch two top 10 prospects in a farm system like the Phillies'. But after his hot stretch and his Silver Slugger-esque first half, buying teams may have no choice but to pay that price for him.

"Saltiban, 19, is the Phillies' sixth-ranked prospect and a fringe top-100 prospect in baseball. He's an incredibly talented, potential five-tool infield prospect. But, he's stuck in a farm system loaded with young middle infield talent. Obviously the Phillies can never have too much talent, but in a few years, they can only play one player at shortstop and that's likely to be Aidan Miller. Saltiban is slashing .227/.347.409 in his age 19 season at the Low-A level."

Despite being two top 10 prospects in the system, any deal that helps them improve without involving Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller, Justin Crawford, and a few others should be viewed as a win.

Rincones is a career .252/.357/.438 hitter in the minor leagues, while Saltiban is slashing .227/.347/.409 in Single-A this season.

They both have the tools to be above-average players one day, but Philadelphia is in a win-now situation, and moving them shouldn't be off the table.