A Phillies-Diamondbacks trade that would leave Braves fans in shambles

The Philadelphia Phillies have a glaring hole in the outfield as we move closer to the trade deadline. As a team with very few holes to fill, the Phillies can afford to empty their tank in a few big trades rather than a ton of smaller ones.

Philadelphia could turn to the Arizona Diamondbacks to make a move for their designated hitter, Joc Pederson.

There are a few issues with this deal. Right now, the Diamondbacks have a 15% chance to make the postseason, per Baseball Reference. As long as they are pushing for the playoffs, they won't deal Pederson.

A Phillies-Diamondbacks trade to bring Joc Pederson to Philadelphia

The other issue is that one of Pederson or Kyle Schwarber would need to play the field. Pederson has yet to appear in a game in the outfield this year, while Schwarber has only played 18 innings of the outfield this season.

But assuming the Diamondbacks fall out of contention and opt to sell, the Phillies could make this deal happen and deal with Schwarber in the outfield on defense.

Pederson is having an incredible 2024, where he's slashing .289/.387/.511 with 22 extra-base hits and an OPS+ of 155. He has a mutual option of $14 million attached to his contract, which we can assume he will decline based on his production this year, meaning he should be treated as a rental in trades.

On the return for the Diamondbacks are two top 20 prospects, Carlos De La Cruz and Caleb Ricketts. MLB Pipeline projects both prospects to make their big-league debuts in the next two seasons.

De La Cruz is a 6-foot-8 prospect who has shown some incredible raw power in his big-league career. He slugged 24 homers last year and is on pace to do the same thing this season. He's an incredibly raw prospect, still, but his talent is incredible and he should be a regular in the big leagues in the next few seasons.

Ricketts may be even better than De La Cruz, especially considering the fact that he plays a premium position as a catcher. He's never going to turn into a 40-homer guy, but that's not his job. His 2024 slash line is .278/.387/.413 and if he can continue with that kind of production, he will be perfectly fine.

Assuming the Diamondbacks aren't in contention by July 30th, I would fully expect Pederson to be dealt. The Phillies may value his bat so much that they're willing to switch Schwarber and Pederson in and out of the outfield in order to get both their bats in the lineup. It's certainly a situation to keep an eye on.