Phillies linked to Byron Buxton trade involving swap of MLB legend’s son

Billy Heyen

Phillies linked to Byron Buxton trade involving swap of MLB legend’s son image

The Philadelphia Phillies could use a splash.

This trade deadline might not be the perfect one for that, though. It seems like Rafael Devers might already have been the best player moved.

But the Phillies are well positioned if the Twins decide to trade Byron Buxton, writes ESPN.

The trade proposal would send Andrew Painter, a top-25 prospect in all of baseball as a right-handed pitcher, and Justin Crawford, an outfielder and the son of Tampa Bay great Carl Crawford.

"Trading Painter would be painful, but the Phillies remain deep in the rotation with Zack Wheeler (signed through 2027), Cristopher Sanchez (signed through 2030), Aaron Nola (signed through 2030) and Jesus Luzardo (under team control through 2026). Ranger Suarez, who's having an excellent season, is heading into free agency, so he's the one arm they might lose," ESPN writes. "But center field 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."

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Buxton is a health risk, but he's usually one of the best players in the league when he's on the field.

The former No. 1 overall prospect is in the midst of possibly his best season.

The Phillies have to at least make this call. Buxton is worth the cost.

Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle