The Philadelphia Phillies are back on the right track after a brief stretch of abhorrent pitching and snakebitten offense, with a (typically) elite rotation and a veteran lineup full of power. While the New York Mets continue apace atop the division, it's clear the Phillies can — and should — hang with any team come October.
That said, there is such thing as too much of a good thing. And while this is not a "problem" in the traditional sense, the Phillies have a lot of starting pitching, even with Aaron Nola on the IL. Zack Wheeler is a Cy Young frontrunner, per usual. After two of the worst starts I've ever seen, Jesús Luzardo is rolling again. Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez are known commodities. But now, Mick Abel has really thrown a metaphorical curveball into Philadelphia's current (and future) plans.
Last season, the general belief was that Abel had lost his luster and may never develop into a dependable MLB pitcher. Now, the former top prospect (and, after a stint in the prospect doghouse, a top-10 prospect again) is throwing gas at the pro level. Through four starts in a Phillies uniform, Abel has a 2.21 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 20.1 innings. He has benefited from a few favorable matchups, but the proof is in the pudding. He's the real deal.
The thing is... that also makes him one heck of a trade chip.
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Mick Abel's early dominance could give Phillies extra trade ammo
The thing about Abel's success is... he doesn't really have a clear spot in the rotation when Philadelphia is healthy. There's a strong case for sticking him in the bullpen and beefing up the late relief crew, but Abel's best long-term path is as a starting pitcher. Right now, Philadelphia has five quality, borderline All-Star level starters under contract — plus an expensive emergency option in Taijuan Walker, plus top prospect Andrew Painter rocketing through the minors.
At a certain point, Painter will be up to speed and ready for his big-league moment. With all due respect to Abel, he is not on Painter's level, and any rotational tweaks to make space for a young arm will be executed with Painter in mind.
So, rather than demoting Abel to the bullpen or sending a red-hot arm back to Triple-A, the Phillies could put Abel on the market. We know Philadelphia needs outfield help more than anything. If a quality centerfielder becomes available — one that can put the Phillies' offense that much closer to bulletproof status — then it might be worth plugging Abel into the trade machine, just to see what comes of it.
Plenty of contenders need a talented, long-term rotation cog like Abel more than Philadelphia. Ideally, the Phillies can find a way to fix the outfield woes and keep Abel, because you can't actually have too much quality pitching. But, with Painter on the way, Walker outperforming expectations, and a Suárez extension still in the cards, the idea of trading Abel has merit. Especially if it increases Philadelphia's World Series odds, as the window is closing fast.