At 49-25, the Philadelphia Phillies currently own the best record in the entire National League.
While most of the hype and hoopla in the NL surrounds Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers, you get the sense that this could very well be the year that Bryce Harper and the Phillies crack through.
With the MLB trade deadline a little over a month away, contending teams such as the Phillies will look to bolster their clubs as best they can for the stretch run of the season.
According to reports, Philadelphia is keeping a close eye on a pair of talented outfielders who currently play for the worst team in baseball: the Chicago White Sox.
At 20-56, the White Sox are going nowhere fast and will assumingly be trading off as many assets as they can once the deadline draws closer.
The two players who the Phillies are thought to be most interested in are Luis Robert Jr. and Tommy Pham.
“The Phillies have been the National League’s best team but aren’t resting on their laurels. They’re looking to improve their overall outfield and have interest in Luis Robert Jr. and Tommy Pham,” Jim Bowden of The Athletic reported.
“The Phillies and White Sox do match up well on a blockbuster-type deal. Robert is under team control through 2027 on a club-friendly deal.
“The Phillies are in on outfielder Jake McCarthy of the Diamondbacks as well … It’s believed they could also add a reliever.”
“The White Sox have no untouchables on their major-league roster,” Bowden added.
“They’re willing to trade all of their best players including outfielders Luis Robert Jr., Eloy Jiménez and Tommy Pham as well as starters Garrett Crochet and Erick Fedde and reliever Michael Kopech.
“Bottom line: They’re going to have a fire sale and aim to add as many good prospects as they can and make as many trades as possible.”
It should certainly be noted that the 26-year-old Robert Jr. is in the middle of a tough season. Although he’s been held to only 22 games played thus far.
He’s currently batting .198 with 7 home runs and 11 RBI’s to go along with a .763 OPS in 81 at-bats.
Meanwhile, the 36-year-old veteran Pham is currently batting .276 with 3 home runs and 13 RBI’s to go along with a .737 OPS in 152 at-bats.
In other words, we’re not exactly talking about Aaron Judge and Juan Soto here…
What are your thoughts on Philadelphia’s reported interest in Robert Jr. and Pham?
Are there other players who they should be prioritizing over those two?
In the bigger picture, what are your thoughts on the Phillies this season?
If it comes down to Phillies-Dodgers in the NLCS, who do you favor?
How about a Phillies-Yankees World Series? … Who would end up winning that matchup???