The Phillies may not have to look far if they want to patch a hole at the deadline, and one recent prediction has them landing a familiar kind of target from a division rival.
CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa projected Philadelphia to acquire Clay Holmes from the Mets, a move that would send the right-hander to a team chasing help while he works back from a leg injury that has kept him out for months. Holmes was struck by a comebacker against Spencer Jones, taking a 110-plus mile-per-hour line drive off his leg, and that setback has clouded his status ever since.
Axisa pointed out that neither Holmes nor the other player in the broader discussion is at peak trade value right now, but that there is still a market for pitchers in that situation. He wrote, “Neither is at his maximum trade value right now.
Still, Peralta has upside and is durable, and Holmes was excellent before his fluke injury (he got hit by a comebacker). There is plenty of precedent for an injured pitcher getting moved at the deadline.
Just last year, Shane Bieber got traded despite not having thrown a pitch all year.
“The Mets won't get as much for Peralta as they gave up in the offseason, but they will get more back than the dinky fourth-round compensation draft pick they will receive if they keep him and make him the qualifying offer. Holmes is not technically a rental, though it's a near lock he'll decline his $12 million player option after the season.
The Mets also have two rental lefty relievers they figure to move in A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley… Phillies for Holmes,” Mike Axisa of CBS Sports wrote.
The idea of an in-division deal stands out because those trades are usually rare, but the National League East has been tight enough that movement between rivals could make sense. Outside of the Mets, who are 16.0 games behind the first-place Braves, the rest of the division is still packed together. The Phillies are three games back, the Marlins are 4.5 games behind, and Washington sits 7.5 games out.
For Philadelphia, the appeal is straightforward: Holmes’ stuff before the injury was strong, and the concern around a leg issue is less alarming than it might be for other positions. That’s why he looks like a reasonable name for the Phillies to pursue if they want bullpen help from within the division.
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