MLB Rumors: Phillies top trade target coming from division rival?

The Philadelphia Phillies could look to an unexpected place for outfield help at the MLB trade deadline. 

The Philadelphia Phillies are 52-46, within striking distance of a wildcard spot in the National League. Now with little over a week until the Aug. 1 MLB Trade Deadline, the Phillies are expected to target outfield reinforcements. A surprising potential trade partner has emerged.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the New York Mets could possess a primary Phillies target in the form of veteran left fielder Tommy Pham.

The Phillies are looking for corner outfield help. Meanwhile, the Mets are rapidly falling in the NL East standings and Pham — 35 years old on an expiring contract — doesn’t really fit the team’s timeline.

Philadelphia Phillies could target Mets outfielder Tommy Pham at trade deadline

It’s rare for division rivals to seek each other out at the trade deadline, but the Mets have no illusions of immediate contention. The Phillies, meanwhile, are looking to scrape together a wild card berth given their 11.5-game deficit behind the Braves in the NL East — and, ideally, a repeat of last season’s improbable run to the World Series.

Pham fits an obvious need for the Phillies, who are looking to get Kyle Schwarber out of left field and into the DH spot. There are other complicating factors in that pursuit, but with Bryce Harper experimenting at first base, Schwarber’s removal from left field is only a matter of time.

That being the case, someone has to take Schwarber’s spot. Pham gives the Phillies another right-handed hitter to balance out the lineup and he can competently field the position. His numbers for the season don’t leap off the page, but he’s slashing .272/.356/.475 at the plate with nine home runs and 35 RBIs in 217 at-bats.

Pham would give the Phillies, at the very least, a platoon option in left or right field. For the Mets, this is a chance to get something of value before Pham hits the open market in the winter. New York is heading for a fire sale, with names like Justin Verlander and Mark Canha also circling the MLB rumors mill.

The Phillies will have competition for Pham’s services, but ultimately the price shouldn’t be too steep for a mid-tier veteran in the final year of his contract. Pham would represent a short-term investment for Philadelphia, as he’s liable to walk in the winter (if the Phillies even want to keep him beyond the season).

Philadelphia has all the star power the roster can handle. With Harper slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things and Trea Turner starting to show remote signs of the stardom Philadelphia was expecting when it spent $300 million, expect any trade to address the margins of the roster.

That said, the Phillies also have the seventh-best odds to trade for Shohei Ohtani. Given their recent track record of aggressive moves, one can’t count out a blockbuster trade entirely.