MLB Philadelphia Phillies

5 Players Philadelphia Phillies Need to Trade For By Start of 2015 Season

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By @papreps

5 Players Phillies Need to Trade For Now

Matt Adams, St. Louis Cardinals,
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Unless GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is avoiding the historic cold in the Philadelphia area by visiting someplace warm like Venezuela, we can only hope he’s working the phones in his Citizens Bank Park office trying to make trades to help his team rebuild. Of course, a lot depends on where Cole Hamels lands but Amaro could also use players like Chase Utley, Jonathan Papelbon and Cody Asche to obtain five key pieces.

5. Matt Adams

Matt Adams, St. Louis Cardinals,
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5. Matt Adams

Matt Adams, St. Louis Cardinals,
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If the Phils can eat more than half of Ryan Howard’s million salary, trading the St. Louis native back to his hometown for fellow first baseman Adams might be a deal the Cardinals can swallow. Adams owns a .876 OPS and will not even be arb-eligible until 2016. If the Cards balk at that, the Phillies can throw in Jonathan Papelbon or Cody Asche.

4. Randal Grichuk

Randal Grichuk, St. Louis Cardinals,
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4. Randal Grichuk

Randal Grichuk, St. Louis Cardinals,
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Grichuk, now with the Cardinals, is coming off a 27-homer season in Triple A for Memphis and hit 22 homers the year before for Double A Arkansas. He would fit right in at homer-friendly Citizens Bank Park and in a Phillies outfield now devoid of power hitters with the recent trade of Marlon Byrd. He probably could be had in a straight swap for Cody Asche.

3. Joc Pederson

Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers,
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3. Joc Pederson

Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers,
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If the Dodgers want Cole Hamels to join former teammate Jimmy Rollins, they will have to give up Pederson. The Phils wanted Pederson, a centerfielder, and two other top prospects, for Hamels in August but will now just settle for Pederson. He's 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, and bats and throws left-handed. Pederson is coming off a terrific 2014 season in AAA, hitting .303 with 33 home runs, 106 runs scored, 78 runs scored and 30 stolen bases.

2. Xander Bogaerts

Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox,
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2. Xander Bogaerts

Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox,
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Bogaerts is still considered Boston's shortstop but could be ticketed for elsewhere with the arrival of Hanley Ramirez and Cole Hamels. To pry him from the Phillies, the Red Sox would have to offer Bogaerts as the centerpiece of a deal. He hit only .240 last season, but would be a much better option at short for the Phils than the light-hitting Freddy Galvis.

1. Wil Myers

Wil Myers, Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres,
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1. Wil Myers

Wil Myers, Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres,
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Just by offering an ace lefty and probable No. 1 starter on 30 teams, the Phillies can afford to wait to deal Cole Hamels until spring training to get the best possible offer for a World Series MVP with seven good years left. One realistic return would be Myers, the 2013 AL Rookie of the Year. Hamels’ hometown is San Diego and the Padres could probably be talked out of Myers for Hamels.

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