As the Philadelphia Phillies continue their west coast road trip ahead of the MLB All-Star Break, they are wrapping up the first half of the 2025 MLB season, in which they have been battling with the New York Mets for first place in the National League East.

While the Phillies have one of the best starting pitching staffs in baseball, their Bullpen is in the bottom ten in ERA, WHIP, and Batting Average Against. Philadelphia gambled on the hope that former All-Star Close Jordan Romano would bounce back in 2025, but he has been a major disappointment.

The Phillies’ Outfielders have been a letdown as well in 2025. The assortment of Max Kepler, Brandon Marsh, Nick Castellanos, Johan Rojas, Weston Wilson, and Otto Kemp have combined for a .243 Batting Average and just 25 Home Runs.

As we count down to the MLB Trade Deadline, one Baseball Insider has proposed a trade that would benefit both the Phillies and the team acquiring some of Philadelphia’s prospects.

Could This Be The Perfect Trade Partner for the Phillies?

The Cleveland Guardians are one of the most disappointing teams in Baseball this season. After winning 92 games last season, the team has been playing by injuries and underwhelming play from some of their best players.

The Athletic and CBS Sports MLB Insider Jim Bowden is a former MLB General Manager and one of several Baseball Insiders who have pointed to Cleveland as a seller at the Trade Deadline. Three-Time All-Star Closer Emmanuel Clase has become a rumored trade candidate for a Guardians team that is five games under-.500 this season.

Cleveland Guardians Emmanuel Clase

Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images

While Clase is having an underwhelming season, he is still considered one of the best bullpen pitchers in Baseball today. The 27-year-old would be a major upgrade for a Phillies team that desperately needs more Relief Pitchers.

ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan says the Phillies and Guardians are the best match trade partners at the deadline for a deal that would land Clase and three-time Gold Glove Outfielder Steven Kwan in Philadelphia:

“As long as the Phillies are aiming high — and nobody aims high quite like Dave Dombrowski — perhaps they could take a run at landing both Clase and Steven Kwan from Cleveland. Maybe it would take Andrew Painter. Maybe Aidan Miller. Maybe Justin Crawford. Regardless, the Phillies’ window is closing, and getting both club control (Clase is under contract through 2028 and Kwan through 2027) and cost certainty (Clase is due $26 million for the next three years and Kwan less than $20 million for two) would make dealing high-end prospects significantly more palatable.”

Getting two players under contract for the next few years and both guys still in their mid-to-late 20’s makes this a very appealing option for Philadelphia. While the idea of trading top prospects Andrew Painter or Aidan Miller, you would be sending them to the American League for two players who are proven commodities.

Painter has not been as dominant as some people have hoped in the Minor Leagues this year, posting a 4.97 ERA in 11 starts at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He is still rated the number 10 best prospect in Major League Baseball, and he would have elite value at the MLB Trade Deadline.

Just 21 years old, Aiden Miller has been underwhelming in his 64 games played at Double-A this season. His .231 Batting Average contrasts with a .353 On-Base Percentage, so he is still developing into the well-rounded player necessary to meet his potential in the Major Leagues.

But numerous Baseball Insiders and experts say that Painter and Miller are elite prospects who are almost guaranteed to be future all-stars. Phillies fans still have nightmares about former prospects like Fergie Jenkins, Ryne Sandberg, Scott Rolen, Gio Gonzalez, and others going on to play great for other teams. Does this organization really want to trade Miller and Painter?

So that brings us to the third name that Passan mentioned in his ESPN.com article: Justin Crawford has the second-best Batting Average in Triple-A International League (.339), and third-most Stolen Bases (28). Crawford is rated the number Three Prospect in the Phillies organization and would be very appealing for Cleveland.

Of course, it would take more to get Clase and Kwan than trading only Justin Crawford. You might have to include Mick Abel (#5 Phillies Prospect) or Aroon Escobar (#6 Phillies Prospect) to pair with Crawford as part of a trade package. But Passan is right, Clase and Kwan would be perfect fits for a Phillies team that needs more reliable players.

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