Phillies Predicted to Trade Pitching Prospect for Reliever, Outfield Help
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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The Philadelphia Phillies know they have two major needs at the trade deadline that is approximately six weeks away: relievers and center field.
Dave Dombrowski has his hands full to give the Phillies their best chance of success as they push for the National League East title. Both positions may not be able to be addressed, but a lot can change.
Former baseball general manager Jim Bowden predicted they could fill both of those holes in this recent mock trade for The Athletic.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JUNE 16: Mick Abel #40 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on June 16, 2025 in Miami, Florida.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JUNE 16: Mick Abel #40 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on June 16, 2025 in Miami, Florida."The Phillies' two biggest needs are closer and center field, and this scenario would hit both in one swap, even though it would come at a significant price," wrote Bowden.
Here is the full trade:
Phillies receive: OF Cedric Mullins, RHP Felix Bautista
Orioles receive: RHP Mick Abel
Phillies fans can be heard screaming across the country for the organization not to trade Abel. He's done well so far in his time in the big leagues, and teams can never have too much pitching. (Just ask the Dodgers.) However, Bowden still believes it's a deal worth pursuing for both teams.
"The Orioles would address their key need, young controllable starting pitching, in acquiring Abel, a 23-year-old who has a chance to become an ace if he continues to develop and his command and control improve. ... It would be tough for the Phillies to lose Abel, their first-round pick in 2020, but with a strong rotation and top prospect Andrew Painter, a future ace, on track to debut this summer, they might be willing to do this deal if they think Bautista and Mullins are the final pieces needed to win the World Series," wrote Bowden.
Bautista would give the Phillies a long-term answer at closer while they could look to extend Mullins beyond this year. Abel would be a steep price, but Dombrowski knows better than anyone that coughing up a big piece like Abel is necessary to bolster the roster.
More MLB: With Rafael Devers Gone, Could Triston Casas Trade Be Next for Red Sox?
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They then were able to add Jake Peavy and the rest of his $14.5 million salary at the trade deadline, rather than bargain-bin shopping for damaged rotation goods like they had in the recent past. Every one of those players played a significant role in the Red Sox going not just from worst-to-first, but also winning the 2013 World Series. 2020: Mookie Betts to Dodgers The setup and reaction: In 2018, the Red Sox won their fourth World Series of the century with a set of core players that seemingly extended the dynasty embodied by David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. Betts was already a star player by 2018, but capping off a season in which he won the AL MVP and led the league in batting average and runs scored with a ring? Seeing him walk would be unfathomable. But the seeds of change had been planted even prior to that season. After an arbitration year in 2018 and a 2019 season that barely avoided it, it was obvious Betts was rightfully holding out for a big payday. 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Trying to keep Betts, Bogaerts, and pitcher Chris Sale would have been prohibitively expensive, but each of those moves (add Devers to this list now) has hardly brought Boston any success. There likely won't ever be another Bambino-style curse, but the Betts trade sure is beginning to feel like it. BONUS! Landing Rollie Fingers from Athletics (1976): The Red Sox acquired the future Hall of Famer in June 1976, straight-up buying him from the Athletics for $1 million because then-owner Charlie Finley was … doing Charlie Finley things, mostly. Fingers never suited up, though, as commissioner Bowie Kuhn vetoed the transaction — and Oakland's $1.5 million sale of Vida Blue to the Yankees — using his best interest of baseball powers. Manny Ramirez to Dodgers (2008): After years of trade rumors, the Red Sox pulled the trigger on moving Ramirez at the 2008 trade deadline, sending him to the Dodgers in a three-team trade. The move wasn't too surprising at the time, with calls for him to be traded growing in the weeks leading up to it as some thought he wasn't hustling on ground balls. While Ramirez played so well in his two months with the Dodgers that season that he finished fourth in NL MVP voting, the Red Sox emerged from the trade relatively unscathed. Jason Bay was more than a viable replacement for Ramirez, helping the Red Sox reach the ALCS in 2008 before being named an All-Star in 2009. Fred Lynn to Angels (1981): The Red Sox learned that deadlines matter in a painful way during the 1980-81 offseason. Their failure to send contracts to Lynn and Carlton Fisk ahead of the Dec. 20 deadline in 1980 cost them two franchise legends. They got ahead of the Lynn situation by trading him to the Angels shortly later, but accepting a relatively modest deal for a nine-time All-Star in his prime. Fisk, meanwhile, won his arbitration case and became a free agent, later signing with the White Sox. Future MLB commissioner Bart Giammati later called the situation "the worst moment for Red Sox fans since the team sold Babe Ruth." Jeff Bagwell to Astros (1990): Bagwell wasn't in the majors when the Red Sox traded him in 1990, but the move wound up being one of the most consequential in franchise history. They traded the New England native and lifelong Red Sox fan to the Astros for reliever Larry Anderson. Anderson only spent one month with the Red Sox while Bagwell began his Hall of Fame career a year later. Then-Red Sox general manager Lou Gorman defended the trade years later, saying Bagwell's path to playing was blocked by Wade Boggs, Mo Vaughn and other highly-touted prospects in the organization at the time. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily. 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