Proposed Philadelphia Phillies Trade Brings Silver Slugger to Outfield…

While they still need an outfielder, the Philadelphia Phillies do not want to give up everything for one of

the top players.

Even if the market might not be as robust as some would have thought it was earlier in the season, some

quality names will still be available.

For Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, Zach Pressnell of FanSided put together an intriguing

deal that would not break the bank.

In return for Carlos De La Cruz, a first baseman and outfielder, and Christian McGowan, a right-handed

pitcher, Philadelphia would acquire Mullins.

Mullins’ professional history is intriguing. He spent a few seasons bouncing between the minors and

majors before making his breakthrough in 2021 with an All-Star and Silver Season prize went to Slugger.

His slashing line of.291/.360/.518 was quite nice, as he hit 30 home runs and stole 30 bases.

He had a phenomenal season that launched him into the spotlight, but he has not been able to match it

since. In 2022 and 2023, his.248/.313/.408 line was merely passable. Although his abilities decreased,

he was still able to steal a bag.

He has significantly slowed down as of 2024. All he could muster was a.214/.256/.373 line. The

interesting thing is that, during the past month, he is started to look more like himself, with

a.276/.300/.483 line.

In the hopes that he gets back to normal, the Phillies might purchase low on him. Additionally, he is

under team control until the conclusion of next season.

De La Cruz and McGowan together would be extremely reasonably priced in Philadelphia.

Although De La Cruz has shown himself to be a reliable player in the minor levels on a regular basis, he

is growing too old to play in the minors for very much longer.

He is sliced, at last reaching the Triple-A level.This across that and Double-A is 253/.333/.423.

Although Mullins will not be with Baltimore for very long, his ceiling is not much higher than that of a

rotational outfielder.

When healthy, McGowan possesses a strong fastball; the issue has been maintaining his health. In four

seasons in the minor leagues, he has only appeared in 20 games.

But he is looked terrific when he is pitched. His lifetime ERA is 3.27, and he has a 10 K/9. He could be

employed. Easily out of the bullpen, but the Phillies think he has the potential to develop into a reliable

starter.

From Philadelphia’s perspective, this makes sense overall, but it might not be sufficient to entice the

outfielder to go.