Acquiring Eugenio Suarez Is Worth The Cost For The Phillies

The Phillies have a need, perhaps even more dire than bullpen help- a right-handed bat who can hit for power. Yes, the bullpen needs to be fixed, but options to do that are a bit more plentiful. Even if they have to overpay, they will likely enter August with another high-level bullpen arm. Right-handed bats are harder to come by at this deadline. But Eugenio Suarez would solve all of those problems.

There is only 1 player in the league who has more HRs from the right side of the plate than Suarez, and that is Aaron Judge. Judge has 37, Suarez has 36, and no one else even has 30. The Phillies have 50 Hrs from the right side of the plate in total. Suarez would nearly double that amount. His SLG is over .100 points higher than any right-handed hitter currently on the Phillies.

He would change the whole outlook of the Phillies' lineup. Suddenly, a lineup desperate for power has two of the league's best power hitters in Schwarber and Suarez. Not to mention Bryce Harper, who recently found his power stroke. Sprinkle in guys like Trea Turner and Nick Castellanos, who are both going to finish with around 20 HRs, and power is no longer an issue; it is a strength. Even JT has picked it up in that department.

The fit in the lineup is a no-brainer. The question is, can they pull it off? The market for the Diamondbacks' 3B is going to be competitive. The Yankees seem to be out on him after trading for Ryan McMahon, but there are several other teams in the mix, including the Cubs, Mariners, and Brewers.

But even with that market, he may not cost as much as you think. Suarez is 34 and on an expiring contract. Most trade rumors between the Phillies and the DBacks seem to start with Mick Abel. The DBacks did have a scout at Abel's last start in AAA.

Abel has seen his value rise and fall. A couple of years ago, he was one of their top prospects, but he struggled in the minors before this season. He broke out early this season. It was enough to earn him a taste of the big leagues. At first he looked great, but he started to lose control, had some rough outings, and eventually returned to AAA.

His last start, the one the DBacks scouted, did not go great. But he pitched 12 shootout innings in the prior 2 starts. Of all the Phillies prospects, he seems like the most likely to be traded. He lacks the cache of Andrew Painter, and there is no clear role for the once top prospect in next year's rotation. But for teams like the Dbacks, he is an MLB-ready pitcher with plus stuff.

It might take more than him. But it sounds like the Phillies could acquire Suarez without giving up one of the 3 prized prospects, Painter, Aidan Miller, and Justin Crawford. The Phillies prefer to get someone under team control, but if you can acquire a bat like Suarez and protect your top prospects, it is hard to pass up on that chance.

The bat is the perfect fit. The glove is less so. However, they utilize Suarez once they acquire him will make their defense worse. Suarez is not a good defender at 3rd. He is not Earth-shatteringly bad, but even compared to an average 3B like Alec Bohm, he is a downgrade.

Let's say they put him at 3rd. That moves Bohm to 1st, and Harper back into the OF. Harper has not played the OF since he injured his elbow in 2022. He said he will move there for the right piece, but he is certainly going to be rusty there, if he would actually make the move at all.

The other option is to put Suarez at DH, and move Schwarber to LF. Again, not ideal. Schwarber would be the worst LF in the league. That said, the Phillies won both their World Series with butchers in LF, and made it there in 2022 with Schwarber in Left.

Neither option is ideal. But both would be worth it to add 36 HRs to this lineup from the Right Side. The Phillies cannot afford to play it safe at this deadline. This core is running out of time. The lineup as constructed is proven not to be good enough. The closest they ever came was with Rhys Hoskins' bat in the lineup. Suarez's bat is even more potent from the right side.

They simply need to add a right with pop to this team, and Suarez is by far the best option in that department. They should pull the trigger, no matter the cost. He is a player who takes them from a contender to one of the favorites. Trade for him, acquire a closer in another deal, and the Phillies have a roster that can stack up to anyone in the league.