Phillies Prospects Give Dombrowski The Ultimate Credit Card

The Athletic posted its mid-season updated Top 60 prospects list in MLB. Keith Law summarizes the talent across the minor leagues before the Trade Deadline next Tuesday. For the first time since Law has been compiling these lists for The Athletic, 3 Phillies prospects are in the top 35. I’d say this is a two edge sword. Does it make them more likely or less likely to go make a bold deal? It certainly gives Dave Dombrowski the most flexibility he has ever had to potentially deal a top prospect. What could go wrong? Plenty! Who are the three Phillies prospects in the Top 35? Infielder Aidan Miller, just drafted in 2023, has already landed at 20 on the list. You’ve heard the comparisons to a young slugging Mike Schmidt and he has been recently playing shortstop after plenty of playing time at third base. Could the Phillies be looking at him as a long term solution at shortstop, then moving Trea Turner to second base? What would that mean in a few years for Bryson Stott? He’s their biggest chess piece. Pitcher Andrew Painter is still recovering from Tommy John surgery but is expected to be ready to go by Spring Training of 2025. Law notes that he has “top of the rotation stuff”. He appears at 29 on the list. He is targeted to make a full recovery and his stock is obviously very high. Centerfielder Justin Crawford comes in at 35. He is still a few years away but is a great combination of speed and offense wirh a superior glove. For an organization like the Phillies he is either a great trade piece or a critical part of their future plans. Do you remember the ring chasing of 2009-2011? The fan base loved the idea of dealing prospects and trying to win a championship now back in this era. It’s the perfect credit card analogy. You stroll the mall or Amazon and make that impulse buy for the item you just can’t live without. In the end, it might be a cherished item or it just ends up being a high priced mistake. The Phillies maxed out their credit card and the bill eventually came due. I remember that decade of horrible baseball. It’s a danger you can’t ignore. This team not winning something can’t be an acceptable option They’ve knocked on the door twice, including a World Series berth where they were just two wins away from a championship with four games to secure it in 2022. Dombrowski has a history of making aggressive moves and this team woukd most certainly be worthy of his backing. The last two years he made moves to try to get them into the championship mix. This year he woukd be trying to secure the best record in baseball and the “assumed” easiest path. My Thoughts? This is a team that should cruise to the NL East title with a Magic Number of just 53 on July 25th! They are the best team in MLB and have a roster that most certainly isn’t aging out or looking at 2024 as its last chance for glory. I wouldn’t want to deal ANY of their top three prospects. I’d trust that this team could do well with reinforcements that don’t require a mortgaging of the future. I believe in their record and the lessons they learned the last two seasons in October. I don’t need a panic move to make me feel better about their chances. Do you? Watch Kincade & Salciunas on the 97.5 The Fanatic YouTube page for discussion about the latest breaking sports news in Philadelphia.