The Philadelphia Phillies were recently linked to a special talent on the St. Louis Cardinals in a bold mock trade.
Phillies swap Ranger Suarez for Sonny Gray in mock trade
Athlon Sports’ Caleb Gebrewold rationalized why the Phillies should trade All-Star Ranger Suarez for Cardinals star Sonny Gray, saying this in part (h/t The Sporting News’ Jackson Roberts):
“Philadelphia could look to move (Suárez) as he is set to enter free agency following the season. While they have Taijuan Walker and top-prospect Andrew Painter readily available for depth, they could look to make a move to bolster their rotation,” Gebrewold wrote.
“The Phillies could look to acquire Sonny Gray in a potential move as the St. Louis Cardinals figure to be in the early stages of a rebuild.”
Phillies: Gray is one of this generation’s elite pitchers
The Phillies would luck up on one of this generation’s best pitchers in a deal of this magnitude. Gray has finished in the top-10 in Cy Young Award voting three times in his career, including as runner-up in 2023.
Last season, the 35-year-old recorded 203 strikeouts with a 3.84 ERA. With a 5.8 percent walk rate that ranked in the 84th percentile, Gray has the ability to fan batters while limiting the amount of players that get on base on his watch.
Thus, given Suarez’s extensive back injuries over the last two seasons, Philadelphia could look to move him before his ailments become a lingering problem for his career. That, plus Painter’s highly-anticipated call-up expected for midseason will ensure that the Phillies’ rotation remains stacked for a World Series run.
