Report: Phillies Discuss Suarez; Castellanos Drawing Interest

We are just days away from the July 31 Trade Deadline and the MLB hot stove is heating up.   The Phillies, without third baseman Alec Bohm for a still-undetermined amount of time, had some offensive struggles even without him.   Could the Phillies go after the biggest bat on the market?

According to Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies are among the teams who have inquired about Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez.  Lauber notes, this is not exactly a "clean fit," with Bohm likely to return and Suarez's primary position being third base.

Suarez is currently tied with Schwarber with the National League home run lead at 36.

But the Phillies, without Bohm at least for now and with some offensive challenges from the right side, could benefit from having Suarez bat behind Bryce Harper.

A report from Jon Heyman in the New York Post suggested that Nick Castellanos was drawing attention from the Kansas City Royals.

An acquisition of Suarez would surely mean that either Harper or Kyle Schwarber would ultimately end up in the outfield.  The Phillies might also be ready to promote Justin Crawford, if not traded at the deadline, which could mean that they need another outfield spot available.

Could moving Castellanos give the Phillies some money and a prospect to acquire a player such as Suarez?

The New York Yankees were thought to be in the mix for Suarez, but yesterday acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies.  McMahon will become the Yankees third baseman beginning with today's game against the Phillies.

The Phillies, facing free agency for Schwarber, Ranger Suarez, and J.T. Realmuto, figure to be active at this trade deadline.  Stay tuned.