A Phillies-Nationals trade to acquire the outfield answer they've been looking for

The Philadelphia Phillies have a need for an outfielder, and they have been rumored to be in on almost every outfielder that's been mentioned on the trade block. They have been rumored to be in on Luis Robert Jr., Brent Rooker and Lane Thomas to patch their hole in the outfield.

But the best "bang for your buck" option has been hiding under their nose for the entire season. Jesse Winker has been putting together quite the resurgence of a year in 2024 and he would be a perfect expiring option for the Phillies in the outfield.

Over his last 40 games as of the afternoon of July 8, Nationals outfielder Jesse Winker is batting .328/.434/.496. He's looked like his former, All-Star self from years ago.

A Phillies-Nationals trade for the rental outfielder of Philadelphia's dreams

Acquiring Winker would pair him alongside Nick Castellanos again, much like in 2021 when the pair combined to hit over .300 and slug nearly 60 homers between the two of them.

Adding Winker would slide Brandon Marsh over to centerfield, let Winker slot into Marsh's place in left field. The outfield defense in Philadelphia wouldn't be the best, but their offense would be incredible. Winker is on pace to slug over 20 home runs and put up a WAR over 4.0. He's truly been a difference maker in Washington and he would be one of the cheapest options on the trade block.

The package would include two back half top 30 prospects in the Phillies system. It's a drastic difference than the asking price for the likes of Robert and Rooker. Obviously, Winker doesn't come with the team control or quite the same upside, but Philadelphia is looking for a patch for their hole, not Superman.

Both Alexis De La Cruz (No. 24 prospect) and Simon Muzziotti (No. 18 prospect) have struggled in 2024. Muzziotti has slashed a mediocre .236/.294/.388, good for an OPS south of .700. The 25-year-old has a ton of potential as a glove-first, contact-hitting outfielder, but he hasn't been back to the big leagues since 2022, where he struggled.

De La Cruz is a lot younger than Muzziotti, but he's also struggled much worse. The 6 foot 6 righty has been moved to the bullpen and he currently has an ERA north of 8.00 through 10 appearances. Still, with his frame and a powerful fastball, the 19 year old has a ton of upside if he can find the right coaching to steer him the right way.

Philadelphia won't miss either of these two prospects, but they would love to add an impact bat like Winker's to fill out their lineup. The Nationals are kind of in a spot where they need to trade Winker, and they likely won't get much more than what is being proposed in this deal.