The Philadelphia Phillies have no shortage of star players. However, in a loaded National League, there is no such thing as too many superstars. The Phillies already have a strong rotation, but what if they added the best pitcher in baseball?
The Phillies rotation already features Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo, Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez and Mick Abel. Aaron Nola is on the injured list, but he is also a star in their rotation. There is not many players who could make the rotation better than it already is, but Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes is one who could.
Skenes has dominated the big leagues since his debut. This season, he has a league-best 1.85 ERA, but his team has not done much winning. In fact, the Pirates look far and away from building a contender around Skenes. Insiders suggest that Skenes is not available, and the Pirates are not listening to offers. However, FanSided's Alec MacNichol suggested the Phillies could make a "dream blockbuster" trade to get Skenes.
Skenes is already an All-Star and the favorite to win the National League Cy Young Award. He does not have much incentive to sign an extension with the Pirates, and they cannot afford him if he hits the market. They could get a generational haul by trading him.
"For the Phillies, that would look like Andrew Painter plus one of Aidan Miller or Justin Crawford and more," wrote MacNichol. "They're all top-100 prospects, and the Phillies have said that Painter and Miller are off-limits this trade deadline. However, a proven young commodity in Skenes who's under team control through 2029 is the type of franchise-altering player that warrants that package."
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The Phillies are going to have to go through the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar-studded lineup if they want to win the World Series. Adding Skenes would give them the most dominant arm in the sport to help combat Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
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