It appears as if the Phillies are still not done making moves during the August trade deadline.
According to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic, the Phillies have claimed New York Mets outfielder Jose Bautista on revocable trade waivers. The scribe adds that the two NL East teams are discussing a deal and would need to have one reached by Tuesday.
Furthermore, Jon Heyman of Fancred reports the Mets are telling the Phillies that they will simply not let Bautista go for nothing. New York wants a prospect in return for the veteran outfielder.
If this deal goes through, it would be the third acquisition the Phillies have made this month.
Last week, the Phillies acquired left-handed relief pitcher Luis Avilan from the Chicago White Sox in hopes of bolstering their bullpen.
Philadelphia sent 23-year-old minor league pitcher Felix Paulino to Chicago, in exchange for Avilan’s service. In addition to the acquisition of Avilan, the Phillies completed a trade earlier this month with NL East rival, the Miami Marlins for power-hitting first baseman Justin Bour.
Just like with Avilan, the Phillies did not have to give up much for Bour as they sent minor league pitcher McKenzie Mills to the Marlins.
It is clear that the Phils are not content with their current roster and are looking to make any moves possible in the stretch run towards the playoffs.
What are the Phillies possibly getting with Bautista?
The potential addition of Bautista would give Philadelphia another power-hitting bat off the bench, who is hitting .206/.326/.367 with seven home runs and 30 RBI in 236 plate appearances against left-handed pitching.
Overall, Bautista is slugging a dismal .199/.340/.368 with 11 home runs and 42 RBI this season. None of these numbers are overly impressive, but the Phils could use a veteran slugger like the 37-year-old Bautista, who can change the game with one swing of the bat.
Along those same lines, Rosenthal mentioned that over the last 14 games, Bautista is swinging a hotter bat with an OPS of .738. Before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, it was reported that Philadelphia was looking for an extra outfielder.
However, they were not able to acquire one but have received a big boost from 25-year-old speedy outfielder Roman Quinn. If he does join Philadelphia, do not expect them to play Bautista in the outfield. At this point in his career, he is more of a liability.
