An Astros-Phillies blockbuster trade to pair Kyle Tucker with Bryce Harper

The Philadelphia Phillies have been one of, if not the best team in the league to begin 2024. They're loaded with talent, including some top hitters and a dominant pitching rotation. Their lack of holes in their roster leaves the door open to make one or two massive trade deadline deals for real superstars, rather than a ton of smaller trades to try to patch holes all over the place.

MLB insider Jeff Passan reported the same thing, linking the Phillies with a few huge names. This list of potential trade deadline targets is headlined by the Astros superstar Kyle Tucker.

Tucker is oftentimes seen as off-limits, especially considering the Astros' unwillingness to enter a rebuild. But what if Philadelphia threw together a trade package that Houston couldn't refuse?

An Astros-Phillies trade that brings MVP candidate Kyle Tucker to Philadelphia

A trade for Tucker would be huge. He's currently slashing .266/.395/.584 with 19 homers and 11 doubles. Holding an OBP near .400 while hitting under his career average is truly impressive. If Tucker can hit north of .280, while slugging near .600, his OPS could approach 1.050 for the season. A trade package for him would be costly, but luckily, Philadelphia has the prospect capital to make an offer.

This is the only kind of deal that would catch the attention of the Astros. The Phillies would be parting ways with their No. 2, 7 and 15 ranked prospects, two of which are playing a valuable position as shortstops.

Aidan Miller and Bryan Rincon are two long term investments. Miller, 19, and Rincon, 20, both have the potential to be future difference makers in the infield at the big-league level. This would take two, three, or four years for them to get to this point though.

McGowan is more of an MLB ready guy. He showcases a dominant fastball and a wipeout slider to pair with it. His control problems could be his limiting factor, but his potential is still exceptional at this point.

Aidan Miller, a top 50 prospect in the game, is the true diamond in this trade. He has tremendous raw power and a rocket of an arm. Miller projects to slide to third base, which would be perfect for this trade, given the addition of Rincon in the deal.

Rincon is more of a star defender than Miller, less reliant on his bat than Miller is. He's a switch hitter with good bat to ball skills, but he may never develop into a true 25+ homer guy in the majors. Still, he should be able to add a bit more to his frame and continue his development through the minors.

For the Phillies, they can take this risk for a few reasons. They have a loaded farm system, featuring five top 100 prospects. And they don't have many holes on their team, leaving them open to spending a ton for a superstar or two.

For Houston, they may not want to trade Tucker at all. He is a superstar at this point in his career. But if a team is offering this many talented prospects, the Astros would be forced to consider. Will they deal Tucker? Who knows. Should Philadelphia still offer the house for him? Absolutely.