It’s that time of year when trade winds (and rumors galore) whip through the MLB with gale-force power, and a big one whipping around the Philadelphia Phillies is a potential deal for Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton.
ESPN writer David Schoenfield tossed up the Buxton-to-Philly brainstorm, but to what cost to the Phils? How about losing two big-time prospects, Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford? Take a Zen breath, Phillies fans, the deal hasn’t happened yet.
The Phillies have been linked to the Twins’ Byron Buxton. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
Indeed, it sounds insane to trade the gem of the farm system (Painter) and a potential everyday center fielder (Crawford) for the frequently injured 31-year-old Buxton. However, Buxton wields the impact bat Philly’s wishy-washy lineup needs. He’s belted 20 home runs with a .879 OPS in 73 games this year while being on pace for a career high in WAR. The former Gold Glover winner plays a sparkling center field, doing stuff like this:
And maybe the biggest plus for Buxton is that he’s (miraculously) stayed healthy this season, leading to him being named to the AL All-Star team for the second time in his career.
Buxton would be a tremendous upgrade over Philly’s mediocre centerfield tandem of Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas. As Schoenfield noted, “Centerfield has been a soft spot in recent seasons, with the Phillies in the bottom third in the majors in OPS this year, and the team’s overall power output has been below average, even with Kyle Schwarber. Adding Buxton adds more pop to the middle of the order.”
There’s also this: Getting Buxton would likely cause a domino-effect trade in which the Phils would deal Marsh or left fielder Max Kepler. But that’s for Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski to decide.
Schoenfield says Dombrowski knows “how to go all-in,” and this may be the last chance to do so with the Phillies’ aging core on a quest to get to one more World Series. Adding Buxton would improve those chances.
Schoenfield admits that “trading Painter would be painful” but the Phils’ deep rotation would allow for such a bold move. Painter is currently at Triple-A, where he’s been “good but not great,” according to Dombrowski. But nobody denies the kid has ace-level stuff. Take a gander here:
Unbelievably, the sticking point to the trade may not be the Philliess. Even though they are under .500, the Twins may not be quick to deal Buxton, whose team-friendly contract has him signed through 2028 and earning $15.1 million per season. But let’s be honest: If Painter is on the table, it’s an offer that would be tough to turn down. And if the Phils throw in Crawford, it would be a done deal.
