At the 2024 MLB trade deadline, the Philadelphia Phillies had a perfect opportunity to make a big impression and put themselves in a better position to win the World Series. By pushing all of the chips to the center of the table and going “all-in” on star players, they may have secured some possible game changers down the stretch.
Instead, the Phillies adopted a more conservative strategy, pursuing more specific targets to meet their needs. This allowed them to avoid depleting their farm system and jeopardizing their future in any substantial way.
Was that the correct move? Given the current state of some of their suspected targets, the Phillies may have done the right thing and avoided some serious consequences. Here, we’ll look at three trade deadline disasters that the Phillies fortunately escaped by not going all in.
3 trade deadline disasters the Phillies luckily avoided by not going ‘all-in’
Luis Robert Jr.
Perhaps one of the hottest targets coming up to the deadline, Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. was certainly on Philadelphia’s radar. Not only was he a proven great power hitter with speed and defense, but he would have filled the Phillies’ primary outfield needs.
He has previously been a finalist for Rookie of the Year and has won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards. What wasn’t to admire about the 27-year-old All-Star after a spectacular season of 38 home runs and 80 RBIs in 2023?
However, 2024 was by far Robert’s poorest season of his career. Batting average is low.199 with a.656 OPS and 83 OPS+, injury notwithstanding, something doesn’t seem right with him this season.
More importantly, since the trade deadline, Robert’s hitting average has dropped to.077 and his OPS is.180. Since not being traded before the deadline, he has only three hits, two RBI, zero walks, and 17 strikeouts. Given that rumors said that obtaining his services would have required a king’s ransom of prospects, the Phillies clearly missed out in this case.
Lane Thomas
Another outfield prospect who could have fulfilled the Phillies’ demands was 28-year-old Lane Thomas of the Washington Nationals.
Thomas, who is capable of hitting 20+ home runs and 70+ RBI every season, would have given the Phillies’ outfield a significant offensive boost. Not only that, but he can compete in the field, with a lifetime.985 fielding percentage and 40 outfield assists in six big league seasons.
However, Thomas ended up joining the Cleveland Guardians, while the Phillies signed Austin Hays from the Baltimore Orioles.
Boy, has that been a huge break for Philadelphia. Thomas has been atrocious since joining the Guardians, hitting a measly.109 with a .332 OPS. He scored four runs with no home runs, no RBI and 20 strikeouts in 46 at-bats in 13 games. Things have gotten so bad that he no longer has a guaranteed spot in the starting lineup, having sat out three of the previous six games.
Given that the Guardians gave up three promising prospects in left-handed pitcher Alex Clemmey (Guardians No. 8 prospect), shortstop Rafael Ramirez Jr. (Guardians No. 22 prospect), and third baseman José Tena to acquire Thomas, the results have clearly hurt them in more ways than one.
That would be about similar to the Phillies handing up a package containing Mick Abel, Carlos De La Cruz, and one more prospect, which would have been an expensive price for an underperforming Thomas. For the sake of the Phillies, no thanks.
Garrett Crochet
Garrett Crochet was among the top starting pitchers available at the trade deadline. Why shouldn’t he be? After all, he posted a great 3.02 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, as well as an incredible 150 strikeouts in just 107 1/3 innings of work across 20 starts.
Although the Phillies did not have starting pitching as a primary priority at the deadline, considering their starters’ recent ailments and Taijuan Walker’s inconsistency, adding a top performer to strengthen their rotation would not have been a bad move.
However, there was one caveat: Crochet had never thrown more than 54 1/3 innings in a season previous to 2024. Having having reached the 100-inning mark halfway through the season, some worried if tiredness would set in for the lefty and whether his effectiveness would last the remainder of the season.
That speculation has now been addressed. Crochet is 0-3 in his four starts since the All-Star break, with an 8.78 ERA, a 2.03 WHIP, and an opponent batting average of.328. In 13 1/3 innings, he has allowed 13 earned runs, six of which have been home runs, while striking out 17.
This includes his worst start of the season against the Chicago Cubs, when he couldn’t even make it out of the third inning after giving up seven runs.
Crochet’s two years of control after the 2024 season, along with his strong first-half All-Star performance, would have come at a steep price. However, the Phillies’ decision to avoid Crochet has shown to be a sensible one in retrospect.
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