The Phillies are known to be making proposals to the Boston Red Sox over Phillies starter Cole Hamels. The team continues to keep doing work exploring a trade with the Red Sox. One report this morning seems to indicate the Phillies are going beyond simple scouting of players, but moving further to their makeup.
Ken Rosenthal included in his column today that the Phillies are specifically targeting some of the Red Sox top prospects:
The Red Sox seem disinclined to move Christian Vazquez or Blake Swihart, but teams routinely ask about both catching prospects. Speaking of Vazquez, the Phillies are doing background work on his makeup, as well as on the makeups of right-hander Matt Barnes and outfielder Mookie Betts.
Those are the kinds of prospects that the Phillies likely would request forCole Hamels. Doesn't mean they would get them – Betts, in particular, seems untouchable – but the Phillies have scouted the Red Sox extensively, according to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe.
I suggested that with Vazquez now taking over the catching system that Nick Swihart could be had in a Hamels deal. Perhaps Boston is not willing to move Swihart but will consider Vazquez.
As Rosenthal said, that does not mean that the Phillies and Red Sox necessarily will get things done with these players. Perhaps a high asking price for free agent pitchers Max Scherzer and Jon Lester is leading the Red Sox to come closer to making a trade.
