An emergency Phillies-White Sox trade for big bat with Harper, Schwarber on IL

The Philadelphia Phillies are one of the league's best teams in 2024, but their starting lineup just took a major hit with Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper both landing on the 10-day IL.

Harper and Schwarber both suffered injuries in the same game, but the Phillies dodged a bullet with the severity of the injuries. This could cause Philadelphia to get ultra-aggressive in the trade market for an impact bat in the coming weeks.

Even before the injuries, the Phillies were expected to go after impact bats to solidify their lineup, namely being attached to the White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. on multiple occasions.

Here at Fansided, we have already put together a trade package for the Phillies to acquire Robert. The proposal sends Phillies prospects Aidan Miller, Mick Abel and Christian McGowan to the White Sox for Robert. But with the Phillies' added desperation now, they could be willing to give up a bit more to acquire the superstar outfielder.

An updated Phillies-White Sox trade to add Luis Robert Jr. to the Philadelphia lineup

The expected return on Robert is massive. The return is rumored to be so massive that the White Sox may be looking to wait until the offseason to move him rather than selling him now while his value is lower than last year.

But the trade I proposed weeks ago was already a huge haul for the White Sox. With the Phillies added desperation and addition of another prospect, there's no way the White Sox could turn this deal down.

The key difference in this trade is the addition of pitcher George Klassen to the deal. Klassen is the Phillies 28th-ranked prospect, but in 2024, he's pitched like the 28th-best prospect in baseball, not just in the Phillies system.

This haul of prospects is an incredible package of talent. As stated before, there is no way the White Sox would turn this deal down and there's really no way another team is able to match the prospect capital being offered by the Phillies in this deal.

The hypothetical would come down to how badly Philadelphia wants Robert. With Robert coming off a 38 homer, 36 double season, he would be a huge addition to their lineup for the next couple years.

I want to reiterate the same message that I did last time I wrote a hypothetical trade for the Phillies to land Robert:

"If the Phillies have a chance to acquire Robert, they need to take it before it's too late. It would be a shame to watch this season could down the drain with so much potential, wondering 'What if we would have made that midseason trade for Robert?' "

Now, the sense of urgency should be more heightened than ever. Even though Harper and Schwarber shouldn't be out long term, their lack of offensive depth could be panifully evident without them.