A Phillies-White Sox trade that mortgages the farm for Luis Robert Jr. and an ace

The Philadelphia Phillies have three starters in the NL All-Star lineup. By no means should they feel forced to make a major move at the MLB trade deadline.

Yet, as excited as Phillies fans are about this team, even they'd have to acknowledge there are some obvious holes. Center field is a clear one, even if Johan Rojas received an ungodly number of All-Star votes. Starting pitcher is another, as Taijuan Walker is out for the foreseeable future. As it turns out, the Phillies can take care of both problems in one trade.

The Chicago White Sox are selling at the deadline, hoping to get as much farm system ammo as possible to jumpstart Chirs Getz's rebuild. With Luis Robert Jr. and Garrett Crochet on the open market, why not combine the two and get the best possible return? There is no better general manager to pull off such a blockbuster than Dave Dombrowski, who had a similar experience with the Detroit Tigers, when he traded for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis.

A Phillies-White Sox trade for Luis Robert Jr. and Garrett Crochet

The White Sox are reportedly concerned that Robert Jr.'s value is down given his injury status to start the year, and his lackluster numbers since his return. However, when paired with Crochet, Robert Jr. becomes an easier sell as a coveted piece.

Both players are locked up long term, with Robert Jr. under contract through 2027, and Crochet on a similar timeline (through 2026). The Phillies would have to trade the majority of their top prospects, but it's worth a conversation, as adding a top-level starter and one of the best outfielders in baseball could vault Philly over the Dodgers as National League favorites.

In all likelihood, the Phillies would have to add on a few more of their top-30 prospects. Your guess is as good as mine on that note.

What to know about Phillies prospect package in this trade

In this trade, the White Sox add two top-100 prospects in Painter and Crawford. Painter is a top-10 prospect in all of baseball, and likely a good 1-for-1 trade candidate considering Crochet's value. Crawford, Rincon and McGarry are all top-10 prospects in the Phillies system, with the former being a top-100 overall prospect in MLB.

Painter underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire 2024 season, but his ranking suggests prospect evaluators are willing to overlook that based on skill alone. Crawford lacks true power, but is an elite contact hitter and can create havoc on the basepaths. He also rarely strikes out, and from a distance belongs in a different era entirely. How refreshing!

Rincon is blocked by 18-year-old top-100 prospect Starlyn Caba in the Phillies system, but is plenty talented in his own right. McGarry is ready for a big-league opportunity, and at 25 could slide right into the White Sox rotation. He has a big-league fastball that flirts with triple digits, plus some decent secondary pitches.

In all, the Phillies don't completely mortgage the future with this trade. They'll still have three top-100 prospects, despite trading Painter and Crawford away. However, the supplemental return -- Rincon McGarry and others -- could hurt the system's depth long term.