3 Phillies trades to help replace Rhys Hoskins after ACL tear

1. Phillies trade candidate to replace Rhys Hoskins: Darin Ruf

Groan! Hear me out on this one. Darin Ruf may have been a terrible pickup for the New York Mets at last year’s trade deadline. It shouldn’t mean that the Phillies should ignore him as an option to help get them through a couple of months or longer. Ruf can play first base and right field. Platoon him with Hall and maybe things work out better in Philadelphia than it did in New York.

Ruf has a reputation as someone who can hit left-handed pitchers well. He’s practically an automatic out against righties and has been for quite some time. A man who came up with the Phillies and earned the nickname “Babe Ruf” in his early years, Ruf is now a fading veteran whose best years are well behind him.

Unlike Cooper, the Mets actually would benefit greatly from trading Ruf and giving a roster spot to one of their younger players. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Calling up the Mets to see if they’d be willing to part with one of their biggest trade busts in recent memory is something the Phillies need to consider.

This kind of trade could be a matter of “who blinks first?” The Mets could always simply release Ruf in the coming days before the season begins. The Phillies might prefer to wait and see if he or someone else in a similar situation becomes available in free agency.

Right now, there isn’t much for the Phillies to snatch up worth the money. A healthy Ryan Howard eager to get back on the field without a shift isn’t walking through the door. They know Hoskins won’t be back for some time, though, which puts them in this predicament.