Phillies Mailbag: Suarez, Bohm’s Power, Trade Deadline Plan

Well, I think we have a good understanding of why he was not himself.  Ranger Suárez opted not to pitch in the All-Star game because he has been dealing with back spasms.   Suárez did not even take the trip to Texas.

The good news is that Suárez will get some rest and then make his next start, which probably will be in Minnesota, taking advantage of the All-Star Break and not pitching during the series in Pittsburgh to get himself right.

Let's not forget that Zack Wheeler has also been dealing with back spasms.  He too will skip the All-Star game and also wait until after the Pirates series to pitch.  With Suárez and Wheeler waiting until Minnesota, the Phillies will probably pitch Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, and Tyler Phillips in Pittsburgh this weekend.  There is no announced return date for Taijuan Walker.

I would like to see some more starting pitching depth. The last two Michael Mercado starts are a clear indication that there is not a lot of extra starting pitching depth around.  The Phillies have added starting pitching the last two seasons, and it might be a good idea again.

Does the Home Run Derby open up Alec Bohm's power swing?
~Zach

Believe it or not, I do not think Alec Bohm even opened up a power swing during the derby.  Despite hitting 21 home runs in the opening round to tie for the lead, and 14 in the second round before narrowly losing to Teoscar Hernandez in the swing off.   I was not surprised he performed as he did, but I did understand why he had 18 to 1 odds to win.

"Bohm will just hit a bunch of line drives to the gap," I said to my friends who were gearing up to watch the derby.  That's the type of hitter he is.  He is not the type who look to put a launch angle on the ball; he goes for solid, straight contact.  Therefore, he was not expected to win.

And here's the good news: I do not think it would mess up his swing, either.  Bobby Abreu won the derby back in 2005, but at a price.  Abreu batted .307 with 18 home runs prior to the derby.  Afterwards, he hit just .260 and hit just six more home runs.

So I think Alec Bohm will be Alec Bohm when he returns.  I think we will see the same contact that has served the Phillies well this year, driving in a lot of runs.  But let's be clear: he has power.  A .482 slugging percentage that Bohm has is pretty good.  Those 33 doubles (and one) triple count.

Do you think there is a player/package the Phillies could acquire (Brent Rooker/Mason Miller etc) BUT it would include either Cristopher Sanchez or Andrew Painter and say Johan Rojas… would Phillies do it? Would you do it? Which pitcher would you “prefer” to trade?
~@theawfulgambler

While I do think that the Phillies will be out shopping, I do not believe that they will be looking to trade any piece from their major league roster, or from their top prospects.  Phillies president Dave Dombrowski is usually skilled at finding pieces that fill the needs the team has, while not taking the sexiest name.

First, I will say that there is no chance the Phillies will be trading Cristopher Sanchez or any starting pitcher from the roster.  They might be looking to add starting pitching depth; trading Sanchez would leave a hole that they just cannot fill.

I am not sure they would trade Johan Rojas, either.  I think that if the team adds in the outfield, it would be someone to play left field.  That would mean that Brandon Marsh would split time in center with Rojas.  They are going to need him.  Therefore, I believe Rojas stays put.

Andrew Painter remains their top pitching prospect.  The "Tommy John" surgery has set him back but not knocked him out.  I do not believe the Phillies are desperate enough to trade Painter.  However, it's worth noting that since he has yet to recover from surgery and is not throwing, his value might be lower.

I think the Phillies will look to trade from their prospects, but perhaps number 4 or 5 on their prospect lists on down.  Mick Abel could maybe be had, but he is not pitching well either, and his value might be lower.  But recent history indicates that the blue chip prospects often need not be included in trades.

I think the Phillies have what it takes to get some quality in return.  They seem to be staying out of the Jazz Chisholm and big name markets and focusing on their specific need, which is a right-handed bat for the outfield.  I think they have plenty to get those types of deals done.