A Phillies-Nationals trade to fill two of Philadelphia’s biggest needs in one deal

The Philadelphia Phillies have two clear holes in their roster that they need to fill at the trade deadline: a right-handed outfielder and a bullpen arm.

They could look to fill both spots in one trade with the Washington Nationals, who, conveniently, are selling both of those positions in the coming days.

Matt Gelb of the Athletics is reporting that the Phillies have some interest in both the outfielder, Lane Thomas, and the bullpen arm, Kyle Finnegan.

"The Phillies are interested in hard-throwing reliever Kyle Finnegan and outfielder Lane Thomas, according to multiple major-league sources," Gelb wrote.

There has been a ton of speculation around the Phillies and what they would end up doing at the deadline. A deal like this could cut them down to making one or two trades before dialing it all in for their playoff push.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.

A Phillies-Nationals trade to kill two birds with one stone for Philadelphia

Thomas, 28, is slashing .247/.317/.397 with 26 stolen bases and 24 extra-base hits. He has an additional year of arbitration to cover the 2025 season. According to Baseball Savant, Thomas is one of the better baserunners in the league, per Baserunning Run-Value. His xBA is also much higher than his real batting average which indicates that it will soon rise.

Finnegan, 32, has an additional year of arbitration on his contract in 2025. He's thrown to an impressive 2.32 ERA across 44 appearances where he's recording 28 saves. The righty is a hard thrower that complements his fastball with a wipeout splitter.

Rincon, 20, is struggling a bit this year in High-A. He's slashing .204/.333/.366, though he is still just 20 years old. He's a glove-first prospect that has the potential to turn into a .270-level hitter if everything works out perfectly for him offensively.

Pan, 21, is mainly a reliever, though he flirted with the idea of starting earlier this season. In 75 professional innings, he's struck out over 100 hitters. He has a powerful fastball and a very good splitter that he throws with conviction.

Boyd, 20, is a run first baseball player that swiped 56 bases last year. This year in High-A, he's slashing .234/.312/.319 with 17 stolen bases. At this point in his game, he provides no real threat with the bat, but once he's on base, he is as much of a threat as anybody.

The Phillies don't need to do a blockbuster deal for Luis Robert Jr. or Tarik Skubal, in which they would mortgage their farm system and are left in shambles for years to come. They could go for a trade like this that sets them up nicely for the next two years without completely draining their farm system.