It’s the question on every Philadelphia Phillies fan’s mind these days: how will president of baseball operations David Dombrowski handle the trade deadline?
On Jul. 31, the Phillies will have to finalize their roster for the rest of the season, save for an odd waiver claim or two. Their primary needs are outfield and relief pitching, one of which is easier to find than the other.
There’s no doubt the Phillies will find someone to help handle late-game scenarios out of the bullpen. But a difference-making outfielder could require an unexpected blockbuster of sorts.
Could Dombrowski call his old team, the Boston Red Sox, and pry their All-Star outfielder Jarren Duran away?
In a recent article, Dave Holcomb of Fantasy Sports on SI pitched a mock trade in which the Phillies would acquire Duran from Boston for catching prospect Eduardo Tait and outfield prospect Gabriel Rincones Jr.
“With the Phillies pushing for a title again in 2025, they are unlikely to want to send anything from the major league club back to Boston. The Red Sox, though, might not want that anyway and could be interested in catcher and outfield depth in the minor leagues,” Holcomb wrote.
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“Tait is already the fourth-ranked Phillies prospect at just 18 years old. He is catching at Single-A this season. Rincones could be a future Duran replacement. Rincones is 24 years old and playing at Triple-A. Original projections before the season had Rincones making his MLB debut this summer, but he is batting .208 with a .697 OPS at Lehigh Valley.”
At the conclusion of play on Friday, Duran owned a .255/.312/.413 slash line with only six home runs, though he does have nine triples. He’d only be a marginal upgrade over Brandon Marsh in the lineup at the moment, though he’s obviously capable of more.
However, the fac that Duran is under contract through 2028 (and is only making $3.75 million this season) could embolden Dombrowski to pony up a significant offer. If, that is, Duran is even available.
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