The Philadelphia Phillies have been so close to winning the World Series over the last couple of years, but their magic ran out late in critical games.
The Phillies know they must do whatever it takes to win the World Series over the next few years, as a majority of their top players are in their 30s and will soon be free agents, or their performance could start to decline.
One area the Phillies need to attack at the trade deadline this July is adding help at the back end of the bullpen, and Michael Hennelly from Fansided thinks the team should try to trade for Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase.
"If the Guardians decide to sell at the deadline, they have an enticing asset in closer Emmanuel Clase. The right-hander is a three-time All-Star and has led the AL in saves in the previous three seasons, including a major league-leading 42 saves in 2022 and 44 saves in 2023," Hennelly wrote. "Clase is a dominant, hard-throwing closer who can reach triple digits. Although his 3.48 ERA in 2025 is a career-high, the 27-year-old’s 18 saves are tied for the fourth-most in the majors. Clase is set to make $6.4 million in 2026 and has two $10 million club options in the following two years. His success, age, and club control make him an intriguing option for reliever-needy teams like the Phillies, but it likely won’t come cheap to pry Clase away from the Guardians."
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A three-time All-Star, Clase has appeared in the game for the last three years and should be heading to his fourth in the next couple of weeks.
The Phillies should make a call to Cleveland to see if their All-Star closer is available, as the Guardians tend to trade away players when their value is at its highest
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