The Phillies have gone from a 9-19 start and a managerial change to sitting at 53-43, just two games back of the first-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East. That kind of turnaround usually gets people talking about October. It also gets people talking about the trade deadline.
And if Philadelphia is going to make a real push, the roster still has some obvious holes. The pitching staff needs help, both in the rotation and the bullpen, and with Adolis Garcia out for the year because of a lat injury, the outfield needs reinforcement too.
That’s why ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan floated a “dream match” for the Phillies: Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton.
Buxton, 32, is in the middle of another big season. He’s a three-time All-Star, including this year, though he won’t play because of a hip strain. At the plate, he’s hitting .271 with a .904 OPS, along with 45 RBIs and 25 home runs in 75 games.
He would also bring a right-handed bat into a lineup that could use one. The Phillies already have left-handed threats like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh, but they’ve had trouble against left-handed pitching, hitting just .224 with a .671 OPS in those matchups.
Buxton’s value isn’t limited to offense, either. He won a Gold Glove in 2017, and that matters for a Phillies club currently leaning on rookie Justin Crawford in center field.
Crawford has started there, but he’s missed the last two games with a knee injury. He’s batting .263 this season with 21 RBIs in 88 games.
Still, Phillies fans probably shouldn’t get too far ahead of themselves. Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll said a couple of weeks ago that a Buxton trade is not on the table, according to MLB.com.
“We have no plans to trade Byron,” Zoll said. “It’s not something we’re exploring.
It’s not something we plan to explore. We continue to have productive discussions with Byron.
I think he was very clear on that point last week. But also just from my seat, from the Twins’ perspective, that’s not something that we plan to explore.
Just wanted to hit that head on.”
There’s another major hurdle, too: Buxton has a no-trade clause, and he reportedly isn’t interested in waiving it. He has two years left on his contract at a little over $15.1 million per year.
Minnesota, meanwhile, is 47-49 and sits third in the American League Central.
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