Phillies news and rumors 6/25: Which, if any, pitching prospects would you trade for Paul Goldschmidt?

Mick Abel could be used as a trade chip this summer. (Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire)

The fact that the Phillies are 14-5 in their last 19 games despite the offensive output they’ve received in those 19 games is rather impressive.

It helps to play teams like the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics, against whom the Phillies have won four games in which they scored one, three, one and three runs in the first nine innings of play, respectively.

The winning is masking a glaring offensive problem, though even that mask is starting to wear off. The Phillies have dropped three of four. In those three losses, they scored two, zero and two runs in “regulation” (if you will), and the four runs in the lone win scored because the Mets outfield let them.

Enter Paul Goldschmidt. Or, at least, enter Paul Goldschmidt trade rumors. The 2022 National League MVP, who’s off to another great start in 2023 and is under control through 2024, could be on the trading block for the 31-45 Cardinals this summer if the Redbirds don’t turn things around fast.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic played with the idea a bit on Friday:

In return, the Cardinals could ask for top prospect Andrew Painter, if his medicals don’t scare them, but Philadelphia would instantly reject that offer because the 20-year-old profiles as a future ace. (Painter is working his way back from an elbow injury and could join the Phillies rotation this season if all goes well.) However, the Phillies might be willing to dangle Mick Abel, their second-best pitching prospect, or Griff McGarry, their third-best pitching prospect, along with a couple of mid-level type prospects.

Jim Bowden pondering a Phillies trade for Paul Goldschmidt

As Bowden points out, Painter is probably a non-starter for Dave Dombrowski and co., and that should be true even in a one-for-one offer. He’s too integral to the Phillies’ future plans to part with, medicals be damned.

But what about Abel or McGarry? Those two round out the “big three” that headlines the Phillies’ farm system, but they don’t quite profile as future aces in the way Painter does. A one-for-one wouldn’t be enough to entice St. Louis, but it seems as though those two aren’t quite untouchable the way Painter is, so perhaps either could be the centerpiece of a package that lands Goldy in Philly.

It’s an interesting idea to grapple with, if only because Goldschmidt fills an obvious need at first base for a team struggling to hit (impact on Kyle Schwarber’s positioning notwithstanding), and a Goldschmidt-to-the-Phillies deal isn’t coming into fruition without one of them involved.

Is Mick Abel, Johan Rojas and Alex McFarlane for Paul Goldschmidt too much?

Must-read (or watch) Phillies content

Nick Castellanos has weighed in on the All-Star debate (not):

Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote about the Phillies’ plans for Bryce Harper once he can return to the field.
Matt Gelb of The Athletic wrote about the adjustments and one particular bullpen session that have fueled Taijuan Walker’s dominant past month-and-a-half.
It’s not exactly Phillies content, but it’s adjacent. The Phillies and Mets will play in London next year, and based on the Cubs-Cardinals series currently happening across the pond, it should be a pretty fun atmosphere:

Former Phillie Nation

2022 Phillies reliever David Robertson received his National League championship ring prior to first pitch on Saturday, then threw the last inning and two-thirds to close out the Mets’ win over the Phillies a few hours later.

It was the 11th save of the season in 13 opportunities for Robertson, who now has a 1.64 ERA as a Met.

The Angels’ offense exploded for 25 (yes, twenty-five) runs against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, and the onslaught started against an old Phillies friend. Chase Anderson allowed nine earned runs in 2 2/3 innings before things somehow got even worse. It raised his ERA more than a run and a half, to 5.79. Mickey Moniak went 5-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs. His seven home runs for the Angels would have him in a tie with Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott and Trea Turner for fourth in home runs on the Phillies.