The Philadelphia Phillies know they have to add at least one reliever within the next month to make a push for the National League East title.
Dave Dombrowski and Rob Thomson will have every option on the table, but it’s likely they pursue a similar route to last year in which a rental is acquired at the trade deadline. As a result, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer projects the team could acquire Aroldis Chapman and outfielder Rob Refsnyder from the Boston Red Sox.
“By himself, Chapman would likely fetch a midlevel prospect,” wrote Lauber. “But the Red Sox also have a surplus of outfielders, possibly matching them up with the Phillies’ need and enabling them to extract more for Chapman.”
“Lefty-hitting Jarren Duran is the Sox’s biggest outfield chip despite regressing after a breakout 2024 season,” wrote Lauber. “But a better fit for the Phillies might be Rob Refsnyder, who bats right-handed and mashes lefties (.569 slugging, .972 OPS). He also played for Rob Thomson with the Yankees.”
Here are the complete details of the trade proposal:
- Phillies acquire: LHP Aroldis Chapman, OF Rob Refsnyder
- Red Sox acquire: RHP Mick Abel
The Red Sox would likely jump at this offer and never look back. Trading two players on an expiring contract for a promising, young starter like Abel would be a win-win scenario. Even if Boston stays in the playoff race, this is a move the team could make to better the roster now and for the future.
As for the Phillies, this deal would be an overpay to say the least. Coughing up Abel when Andrew Painter is still a question mark is a major risk. The only way this deal could soften the blow of losing Abel is if the team can convince Chapman to sign a multi-year extension between the end of next month and the season coming to a close.
Overpays happen all the time at the trade deadline, but this one seems like too much of an overpay from the Phillies’ perspective.
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