The Phillies and Mets, bitter rivals in the NL East, share a handful of weak spots, and could end up bidding against each other to acquire impactful pieces this month. They both need:

• A quality power bat
• Centerfield help
• Multiple high-leverage bullpen pieces 

 So let’s use BTV’s trade simulator to see which team can put together the more appealing trade package to fill those holes.

 

Power bat: Taylor Ward (Value: 7.6)

The Angels are not out of it, but they’re far from looking like a true title contender. Unless they go on a major heater in the next three weeks, GM Perry Minasian would be wise to cash in his trade chips.

Taylor Ward has been his usual self for the Angels, slashing .227/.302/.474 over 398 plate appearances, with 43 extra base hits, and playing ropey defense in left field. With a year and a half left of team control, and a dearth of righty sluggers on the trade block, Ward could fetch an intriguing package from an NL East team in need of power. 

 

 

The Phillies’ Offer

The Phillies could offer a duo of starter Mick Abel and defensive wizard Johan Rojas. The light-hitting Rojas and his four remaining years of control would allow the Halos to shift breakout star Jo Adell back to a corner outfield spot, where his shoddy defense would be far less noticeable. 

Abel has had a tumultuous tenure since being selected in the first round back in 2020, but he’s shown signs of turning the corner this year with a 2.00 ERA in 11 Triple-A starts. His first taste of the big leagues has yielded more highs and lows, but his first four starts saw him surrender only five runs while punching out 17 batters in 20.1 innings, highlighting the potential the 23-year-old still possesses.

 

The Mets’ Offer

Despite Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski’s best efforts, the Mets look like they can come up with a more tantalizing package of 20-year-old infielder Jesus Baez and 23-year-old starter Zach Thornton. Baez is the headliner of this deal, and with his plus-power he could develop into the everyday third baseman the Angels have been looking for ever since the Anthony Rendon mega-contract went awry. Thornton is a nice get too, as the southpaw has posted a 1.98 ERA across two minor league levels this year.

 

Winner: Mets

Abel is a bet worth taking for a team in need of starting pitching, as he has the stuff to turn into a decent mid-rotation starter, or if worse comes to worst, a late-inning reliever. However, Rojas just doesn’t hit enough to justify regular playing time in the show, and would further weaken an already spotty Angels offense. On the other hand, Baez could blossom into a legitimate middle of the order bat, while Thornton could one day settle nicely into the back end of the Halos’ starting rotation. For an Angels team in desperate need of depth on both sides of the ball, the choice is clear.

 

Power bat: Eugenio Suárez (Value: 5.6)

Two-time All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suárez is perhaps the best rental bat available this summer, as the pre-season darling Diamondbacks have struggled mightily this year.. If the Snakes don’t turn things around by the end of the month, every contender should be in the mix for Suárez.

 

 

The Phillies’ Offer

Dombrowski’s history with Suárez goes back to his days with the Tigers, when he dealt him to the Reds in an ill-fated deal for veteran starter Alfredo Simón. Dombrowski soon came to regret that decision, as Suárez launched 189 homers in Cincinnati, while Simón posted an ERA over five in his only season with the Tigers.

Suarez is an imperfect fit defensively, but just what the Phillies need with the bat. The righty has hit 29 homers and put up an .863 OPS over 383 trips to the plate. If the Phillies are willing to fit a square peg into a round hole by moving current hot corner occupant Alec Bohm to first base full-time and shifting Bryce Harper into the outfield, they’ll get a sorely needed jumpstart in the lineup.

The real prize going the other way is right fielder Gabriel Rincones Jr., who has rocketed up prospect lists as his raw power has played up in the minors. He’s struggled a bit in his first crack at Triple-A this year, but has the potential to be a middle-of-the-order bat in the big leagues. 

Right-hander Jean Cabrera earned himself a spot on the 40-man roster with a 3.61 ERA in 16 Double-A starts this season, and could start knocking on the door of the majors in short order. Finishing things out is lanky southpaw Mavis Graves, who has an ugly 6.18 ERA in High-A this year, but is a gamble worth taking if he can cut down on the walks and let his strikeout stuff play up.

 

The Mets’ Offer

The Mets have a crowded third base situation of their own that Suárez would be adding to, as the rotating door of Mark Vientos, Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio has been disappointing in the aggregate. While all three youngsters have shown enough in the past to earn some more leash, Mets President of Baseball Ops David Stearns may want to bring in an established bat for their playoff push and start fresh next season.

Headlining New York’s package is infielder-turned-reliever Anthony Nunez, who has dazzled in his second season on the mound with a 1.34 ERA and 54 strikeouts in only 33.2 innings pitched. 24-year-old relief prospects typically don’t net a ton in trade, but if Nunez can keep this up as he ascends into the high minors, he could turn into a weapon in the back end of Arizona’s bullpen. 

Colin Houck is more of a flier, as his prospect shine has dimmed significantly after signing for an above-slot $2.75 million as a first-rounder back in 2023. He strikes out far too much to tap into his decent power, and the Mets have already started moving him off of shortstop in the low minors. Not all hope is lost, however, as he’s managed to steal bases and walk a decent amount. Houck is a project, to be sure, but one that could turn into a usable second or third baseman if everything goes right.

 

Winner: Phillies

The idea of Nunez becoming a dominant late-inning arm is intriguing, but the Phillies’ offer of a trio of high-ceiling pieces should carry the day. Rincones could become the second coming of Pavin Smith, while Cabrera could fit into the major league rotation in the next year or two, and Graves hopefully a few more years down the line.

 

Center field + bullpen package: Byron Buxton (43.6) + Jhoan Durán (20.8)

Total: 64.4

The Twins are currently within striking distance of a wildcard spot, but at 47-48, Baseball Reference only gives the club an 8.1% chance to make the postseason. President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey may decide the team is better served restocking its farm and dealing away some of baseball’s most desirable assets. 

Enter Byron Buxton and Jhoan Durán, two phenomenal talents with multiple years of club control remaining. Neither player will come cheap, and packaging the two together would put a craterous dent in any contender’s farm, but a franchise-altering center fielder and elite-level closer would shift the balance of power in October. Note that Buxton has a full no-trade clause, and has avowed to stay in Minnesota, but clauses have been known to be waived, especially by guys as competitive as Buxton looking for a ring.

 

 

The Phillies’ Offer

The Phillies’ system is a bit light on blue-chip prospects, and prospective ace Andrew Painter is likely off-limits in trade talks, but 21-year-old shortstop Aidan Miller is enough to headline a summer blockbuster. Miller fell to the end of the first round two years ago due to injury concerns, but has put that behind him by tearing up minor league pitching and establishing himself as a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport. Miller has thus far fended off concerns that he won’t be able to stick at shortstop, and looks set to become a star in the not-too-distant future. 

Joining Miller are two arrow-up prospects: catcher Eduardo Tait, an 18-year-old Panamanian whose powerful bat has sent him soaring up prospect lists recently; and Aroon Escobar, a 20-year-old second baseman also having a breakout year.

 

The Mets’ Offer

Stearns can counter with a hefty package of his own, centered around top organizational prospect Jett Williams. A speedy, diminutive shortstop, Williams is blocked at the big league level by Francisco Lindor for the foreseeable future, but has showcased an on-base-percentage over .400 in his minor league career. 

Including Mark Vientos solves two problems: replacing Buxton’s major-league bat in the lineup (at a cheaper salary), and reducing the Mets’ logjam in the infield.

Rounding out the package is burly right-hander Nolan McLean, who has a 2.17 ERA in 87.0 minor league innings this season, and slugging first baseman Ryan Clifford, who was part of the Justin Verlander return two years ago.

 

Winner: Toss-up, favoring Phillies

This one comes down to how highly the Twins evaluate Miller, as he has the potential to be a face of the franchise in a few years. He’d be the most valuable asset involved in this trade, but nothing in this world is guaranteed. If Falvey opts to play it safe, he could land a trio of high-ceiling pieces from a New York team that has a penchant for all-in moves.

 

Bullpen arm: Emmanuel Clase (Value: 36.6)

Emmanuel Clase has been among the most dominant relievers in baseball during his half-decade run in Cleveland, and is seriously underpaid, only being owed a total of $26.4 million over his remaining three years of team control. However, the Guardians have scuffled to a below-.500 record this season, and are always on the lookout for ways to make their roster younger and even cheaper. If Clase is up for grabs, as some reports suggest, he immediately vaults to the top spot among available relief pitchers.

Clase’s overpowering right arm would do wonders for a Phillies bullpen that has struggled to find answers after the team let Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez walk this offseason, and saw closer José Alvarado get hit with a PED suspension early on. 

 

 

The Phillies’ Offer

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Phillies could part with some of their higher-quality prospects, like first-round centerfielder Justin Crawford, injured-but-intriguing right-hander Moisés Chace, powerful 19-year-old right fielder Griffin Burkholder, and outfielder Hendry Mendez. 

 

The Mets’ Offer

The Mets can put together a worthy offer of their own in right-hander Jonah Tong and corner infielder Jacob Reimer. Tong has seen his prospect valuation soar over the past two seasons, as the 22-year-old posted an excellent 3.03 ERA across three minor league levels in 2024, and has topped that with a spectacular 1.83 mark in 15 Double-A starts this year. There are questions around whether or not the Canadian’s funky delivery and middling velocity will play up in the big leagues, but Cleveland has a penchant for getting the most out of pitching prospects. 

Sweetening the pot is 21-year-old masher Jacob Reimer, who has torched minor league pitching to the tune of an .874 OPS this season. Reimer doesn’t offer much with his glove or on the basepaths, but could hit his way to being a solid big league regular. Jonathan Santucci is the final piece, an intriguing 22-year-old lefty with excellent numbers at AA.

 

Winner: Phillies

Both of these packages would be sizable returns for the game’s best relief pitcher, but it’s easy to see the Guardians taking a quantity-over-quality approach and bringing in three potentially game-changing prospects from the Phillies. Crawford has proven doubters wrong at every level of the minor league ladder thus far, making his high ground-ball rate work for him, and posting batting averages well above .300 over the past three seasons. Chace is recovering from Tommy John surgery, but has electric stuff that could see him become a mid-rotation starter or shutdown reliever. Burkholder is still pretty far away, at only 19, but has the potential to become a legitimate five-tool talent if his power and hit tools both continue to develop.

 

Bullpen arm(s): David Bednar (6.3) + Dennis Santana (5.4)

Total: 11.7

Both NL East hopefuls need multiple high-leverage bullpen arms, and the Pirates seem willing to listen on a pair that have been lights-out this season. Two-time All-Star David Bednar has righted the ship after a messy 2024 campaign, while journeyman former Met Dennis Santana has worked to a 2.04 ERA over the past year and change with Pittsburgh. Both righties are under team control through 2026, and while not costing nearly as much as Clase or Durán, won’t come especially cheap.

 

 

The Phillies’ Offer

The Phillies’ lack of mid-tier prospects really hurts them in a deal like this, as they’re relegated to putting together a sampler platter of medium-ceiling, low-floor youngsters. Johnson is the only one with major league experience, having been strafed in his lone start in 2024, but looking worlds better as a reliever this season. Mendez profiles as a contact-oriented corner outfielder with middling range, while McFarlane is a prototypical hard-throwing strikeout machine with serious command issues. Rounding things out is last year’s first-rounder Dante Nori, a future stolen base merchant with plus defense in center field.

 

The Mets’ Offer

What the Mets’ offer lacks in volume it makes up for in caliber, featuring corner outfielder Eli Serrano III. The 22-year-old has held his own so far in two minor league seasons, posting a .753 OPS across both Low and High-A. If he can continue growing into his power, Serrano stands a chance to become a quality big league regular in a few years. Joining Serrano on his way to Pittsburgh is Wellington Aracena, a 20-year-old righty who has held Low-A hitters to a terrific 2.56 ERA over 59.2 innings this season. 

 

Winner: Mets

This is the kind of deal both teams should be chomping at the bit to make, as it brings in multiple controllable reinforcements for a sieve-like bullpen, without completely stripmining prospect depth that will be needed to address other areas. It’s not hard to envision Pirates’ General Manager Ben Cherington choosing to take a Mets offer that provides a decent shot at an everyday player, rather than a quartet of lottery tickets from Philadelphia.

 

Conclusion

It’s not often that we see two division rivals so close in the standings that have such similar holes to fill. Both the Phillies and Mets have disappointed their fanbases with earlier-than-expected postseason exits in recent seasons. Front offices these days are often loath to empty out significant portions of their farm systems (A.J. Preller notwithstanding), but glaring holes need to be patched if a championship is to be won.

The Mets have a deeper prospect pool overall, and therefore may be able to absorb some significant subtractions a bit more easily than the Phillies. However, game-changing additions will not come cheap, and both teams have enough firepower to reel in a big fish or two in an all-in move.