Should Philadelphia Phillies Trade For A Star Reliever?

The Philadelphia Phillies bullpen needs some help and they could be in the market for a star at the MLB trade deadline.

Sep 3, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Miami Marlins catcher Jacob Stallings (58) and / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies could be in the market for a new relief pitcher at the MLB trade deadline.

As good as the starting rotation has been for Philadelphia, the bullpen has been a huge disappointment. Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez in particular have been massive letdowns, each with an ERA around 7.00.

Mason Miller has been the top name that they are connected to, but could the Phillies look elsewhere?

Miami Marlins star reliever Tanner Scott is one of the top targets available on the market.

Scott has a lot going for him on the surface. Through his first 17 appearances this year, he has an ERA all the way down at 2.12 and a WHIP of 1.53. 

He has a low WHIP and ERA for his career, but a little peek under the covers reveals that he might be on the verge of falling apart.

The first and most obvious stat that is troubling would be his walk issues. So far, he is averaging one walk per innings. His command issues have his BB/9 at by far the highest mark of his entire career. 

Not only is he not getting pitches into the strike zone, batters are swinging at his pitches outside 10% less often than last season. He’s not fooling batters.

An outlier statistic in the other direction for the 29-year-old is his BABIP. His previous career low was .224 in 2020, but he is a career .322 guy. In 2024, it’s all the way down at .186. He isn’t allowing a ton of hits this season, but logic says that he is due to regress a bit from where he’s at right now. 

There’s not a huge difference in the types of pitches he’s throwing or the contact that is being made, the balls just aren’t falling against him.

Things could be a lot worse for Scott than they are right now. It’s not guaranteed that his season will fall apart, but there are some causes for concern that might force a team to look in a different direction.

On one hand, the fact that Philadelphia has Jose Alvarado to fall back on makes trading for Scott make some sense. They won't need him to be a lockdown closer. On the other, giving up real prospects for a risky player might not make sense if they don't have to.

The Ohio native is a complicated player, but should be on the Phillies' radar. If they can get a good value, they should pull the trigger on a trade. The front office should absolutely avoid an overpay, though.