8. Pat Neshek, RP, Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia traded for Pat Neshek last winter in hopes he would help them take a step forward after a surprisingly competitive 71-win season in 2016. Instead, the Phillies have been a disaster. As we approach the All-Star break, the Phillies have the worst record in baseball. As a result of the club’s poor record, there’s really no need for a 36-year-old middle reliever – even one that has a 1.31 ERA through the first half of the season.
Neshek has been even better than expected in his first year with the Phillies. In 34.1 innings across 37 appearances, the side-armer has a surrendered just 26 hits and five walks – giving him a microscopic 0.903 WHIP – and 34 strikeouts. Neshek has struck out 26.6 percent of the hitters he has faced this season, two percent more than his career average dating back to 2006. He also has a 3.9 percent walk rate, which would be the second lowest of his 12-year MLB career and a great improvement over his 7.5 percent career number.
The Nationals make the most sense to target Neshek, and Ken Rosenthal reported Washington has shown interest – hardly surprising given their struggles in relief this year. The Red Sox, Yankees and Royals are also expected to be in the mix.
The team’s lone All-Star, Neshek, is just one of a handful of players the team is hoping to shop this summer in order to continue its rebuild. Expect the club to receive calls about Howie Kendrick, Daniel Nava, Jeremy Hellickson and others.