Phillies Trade Rumors: Fightins Connected to a Trio of Outfielders

Believe it or not, we are less than eight weeks from the 2024 Major League Baseball trade deadline. As has been the case for the past few seasons, the MLB trade deadline has moved off the traditional July 31 date and is Tuesday, July 30 at 5:00 PM EDT. The hard deadline –remember there is no more waiver trade period for August– is where a team like the Philadelphia Phillies can make a serious push towards another parade down Broad St in late October/early November.

Barring a complete collapse over the next eight weeks, it’s a near certainty the Phillies will be sitting at or near the top of the National League standings giving the club even more incentive to “go for it” at the deadline. Fixing the glaring need in the outfield would be a place to start for Dave Dombrowski and crew.

With that being said, here’s the latest Phillie trade rumors heading into the 2024 MLB trade deadline.

Kyle Tucker | Houston Astros

Houston Astros’ outfielder Kyle Tucker’s name was first attached to the Phillies a little over a week ago by baseball insider Jeff Passan. As Passan notes, the Astros are playing some woeful baseball and will likely feel the crunch of some major contracts over the next few seasons including a potential Tucker extension. The 27-year-old Tampa native is under team control through the 2025 MLB season making him a prime trade candidate. 

Prior to being placed on the injured list retroactive to June 4, Tucker was slashing .266/.395/.584 with 19 homers, 40 RBI, 11 doubles, and a .979 OPS. Despite the IL trip, Tucker is still ranked third in the AL in homers, slugging percentage, and OPS. The two-time All-Star also has a Rawlings Gold Glove Award (2022) to his credit. 

One downside to Tucker from a Phillies perspective is the slugger bats left-handed. Yes, this is nitpicking a bit. But the Phillies could really benefit the most from a right-handed, power-hitting outfielder. Acquiring the 2023 Silver Slugger winner would cost the Phillies a handful of their top prospects, likely one or more of their young pitchers and/or outfielder Justin Crawford.

Kyle Tucker is gonna end up with 40+ pumps this year. pic.twitter.com/qRrUedms4c

— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) June 1, 2024

Louis Robert Jr. | Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox are looking to use outfielder Luis Robert Jr. as a massive bargaining chip at the trade deadline. The White Sox are the worst team in baseball and can revamp their farm system by trading Robert Jr. for a king’s ransom. As noted by baseball insider Bob Nightengale, that’s exactly what the White Sox are going to do with a goal of a “Juan Soto-like” return of the right-handed hitting outfielder. 

So, what’s that have to do with the Phils? 

In the same report about Houston’s Kyle Tucker, Passan mentioned the Phillies having conversations with the White Sox regarding Robert Jr. The 26-year-old began the 2024 MLB regular season on the injured list and was recently activated. Since being activated on June 4, Robert Jr. has picked up where he left off in 2023 crushing four homers with six RBI in less than a week. 

Acquiring the fleet of foot outfielder would give the Phillies an additional right-handed power bat and Gold Glove defense in centerfield. The slugger’s contract is also extremely team friendly; Robert Jr. is under contract through 2025 with team options for 2026 and 2027. Thus, the ChiSox would want a massive haul including Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller, and others.

Welcome back, LuBob 🫡 pic.twitter.com/zV2HELWwv2

— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) June 5, 2024

Jake McCarthy | Arizona Diamondbacks

In the same USA Today report, Nightengale notes the Phillies are “keeping an eye on” Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jake McCarthy. The 25-year-old Scranton, PA native is having a bounce back 2024 campaign after a down 2023. The lefty is slashing .282/.368/.401 with three homers, 15 RBI, six doubles, and nine stolen bases in 57 games this season. 

McCarthy isn’t exactly a power bat –his highwater mark came in 2022 when he clubbed eight homers in 99 games for the D-backs– but he would be an immediate upgrade over the light hitting Cristian Pache and Johan Rojas. The former UVA prospect also has the ability to play all three outfield positions and can be a threat on the bases. McCarthy finished 5th in the National League in stolen bases in 2022 with 23. 

A trade for McCarthy likely wouldn’t cost the Phillies as much as Tucker or Robert Jr. and they would maintain player control through the 2028 MLB season. 

Jake McCarthy caps off a 6-run 2nd for the @Dbacks! pic.twitter.com/XUN2AACmHE

— MLB (@MLB) June 9, 2024