Proposed Philadelphia Phillies Deal Sends Abel and More for A’s Closer

As we pass the first quarter pole of the Major League Baseball season, the Phillies have shown they are a serious World Series contender.

They currently have the best record in baseball at 31-13 and need to play just .500 baseball the rest of the way to achieve a 90-win season.

So what does the team need?

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While their bullpen has been very good the past few weeks, they could look to add a legitimate closer.   Currently Jose Alvarado is closing games for the team had has eight saves this season with a 3.57 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 16/ strikeouts in 17.2 innings over 19 appearances.

Since Orion Kerkering has come of the IL, the group of Alvarado, Jeff Hoffman, Kerkering and Matt Strahm have pitched in 42 innings and allowed only four earned runs.

One name that should be highly sought after at the trade deadline will be Oakland A's closer Mason Miller, who is currently having a strong season with eight saves, a 0.98 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and 38 strikeouts and just five walks in 18.1 inning over 14 appearances.

So what would it take to get Miller?  According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the  Athletics’s asking price for Miller is steep.

Here is a trade proposal from Bleacher Report, which ranked the Phillies as the No. 4 landing spot for Miller, behind the Yankees, Baltimore and the Cubs.

Trade Proposal: Philadelphia Phillies get RHP Mason Miller; Oakland Athletics get RHP Mick Abel (Phillies No. 2, MLB No. 39), OF Justin Crawford (Phillies No. 3, MLB No. 56), SS Starlyn Caba (Phillies No. 5)

Including the 22-year old Abel seems to be a fair move in exchange for the 25-year old Miller. With Andrew Painter still waiting in the wings, and Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suarez here for the foreseeable future, the team should be willing to part with Abel who has 5.60 ERA in six Triple-A starts this season.

The big name in this proposal would be Crawford, 20, who is currently playing at Jersey Shore in Lakewood. The former first-round pick is hitting .295 with 2 Home Runs, 12 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 28 games.

Starlyn Caba is an interesting name, he is just 18 years old, and is blocked for the next decade by Trea Turner at shortstop, but has been a very impressive player during this short tenue with the organization.

Seems like a lot to give up for a guy who doesn't have much of a Major League track record, but could be a key addition to the Phillies bullpen.