The Philadelphia Phillies are in line for a roster shakeup this winter.
After recording just one win in the 2024 playoffs, the team is facing a final chance to realize its World Series aspirations with an aging core of top-dollar stars. As a result, the front office could be willing to trade away some of its best talent to enter 2025 with a new look.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowksi has said the team will be "open-minded" about roster changes and that it's possible the team could "trade good players for good players." With that in mind, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer proposed a blockbuster trade that would revamp the outfield around a perennial Most Valuable Player Award candidate by flipping Alec Bohm and Jean Cabrera to the Houston Astros in exchange for Kyle Tucker.
"Tucker, 27, has averaged 28 homers with an .888 OPS in the last four seasons," Lauber noted. "The three-time All-Star would fit the Phillies' need for a big corner outfield bat while bringing the contact skills and strike-zone discipline (23.8% chase rate, 16% strikeout rate) they're lacking."
Adding Tucker would definitely qualify as a revamp of the Phillies roster. In seven big-league seasons, he's slashed .274/.353/.516, making the All-Star game in each of the past three years, earning a Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award and receiving MVP votes in three different seasons.
At just 27 years old, Tucker could be a long-term answer for the Phillies outfield, which has seen a rotating cast in center and left fields.
And Lauber noted that the Astros could be in the market for a third baseman like Bohm if they are unable to retain Alex Bregman, who is fielding offers in free agency. With Tucker entering his final year of arbitration eligibility ahead of his own free agency, Houston might be motivated to deal him.
On the Phillies side, Bohm has become the center of trade speculation as a second-half slump at the plate carried into the playoffs and became emblematic of the team's larger offensive issues.
"The Phillies have questioned Bohm's maturity at times in the past," Lauber added. "If he doesn't factor into the long-term plan (he can be a free agent after 2026), it makes sense to trade him off an All-Star season."
Cabrera is ranked No. 13 among the Phillies prospects, a 23-year-old right-hander who posted a 3.80 ERA in 19 starts across High-A and Double-A ball in 2024.
Ultimately, this proposed trade could be a win-win for both teams if the Astros expect to move on from Tucker after 2025 either way. If, however, they see Tucker as their slugger of the future, Bohm and Cabrera might not be enough to land him.
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