The Philadelphia Phillies are currently in a neck-and-neck competition with the New York Mets for control of the National League East.
The Phils have the edge as of now, but their foes from Queens are only 0.5 games behind them.
With the Phillies sure to be buyers at this year's trade deadline, one trade that they could make at the deadline would be sure to juice up their already stellar outfield.
According to ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel, in their most recent listing of "MLB's top 50 trade deadline candidates," the Phillies were named as a prime fit for All-Star Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan.
“Cleveland doesn't want to deal him, but with a dearth of available bats, the Guardians at the very least will listen to see whether teams are willing to blow them away with offers,” the writers said in their list.
And they have a great point.
Just one season removed from combatting the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series, the team currently sits a distant 10 games behind the Detroit Tigers, making the likelihood of the Guardians willing to deal off elite players like Kwan very high.
Kwan is a three-time Gold Glove Award winner and a two-time All-Star currently posting a .288 batting average while hitting six home runs and 32 runs batted in.
In Philadelphia's case, adding Kwan would not only add to their superb outfield that also houses Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh, and Max Kepler, but also a high-powered batting lineup that also includes Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and the reigning All-Star Game MVP Kyle Schwarber.