The Philadelphia Phillies absolutely need to add an outfielder before the MLB trade deadline, and one name that has become very popular for them is Minnesota Twins star Byron Buxton.
The Twins are still very much in the playoff hunt, but if they fall out of the race between now and Aug. 3, they could decide to move Buxton, who is under contract through 2028.
Should Minnesota decide to place Buxton on the trading block, the Phillies will almost certainly come calling, and on that note, Zachary Rotman of FanSided has proposed a wild trade idea that could land Buxton in Philadelphia.
Rotman’s proposal has the Phillies sending pitchers Andrew Painter and Gage Wood as well as second baseman Aroon Escobar to the Twins in exchange for Buxton, which would certainly be a massive package.
“That means parting with Andrew Painter, who, while he struggled mightily in his first taste of the Majors, should still have some value considering how highly touted he was as a prospect not too long ago,” Rotman wrote. “In addition to Painter, the Twins would be acquiring Gage Wood, the Phillies’ best pitching prospect, and Aroon Escobar, a player who, while having a down year, was a fringe top-100 guy just last year.
“The Twins would be acquiring two young right-handers with immense upside in Painter and Wood, and a worthwhile lottery ticket in Escobar.”
It seems hard to imagine the Phillies giving up that much in return for Buxton, who has an extensive injury history and recently sustained another hip injury over the weekend.
Philadelphia has a rather thin farm system as it is, so the chances of the Phillies surrendering that much of a haul for Buxton seem incredibly slim.
Buxton is a three-time All-Star, but he has appeared in 100 games just three times since entering the majors back in 2015.
The 29-year-old was originally selected by Minnesota with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2012 MLB Draft.
When healthy, Buxton is terrific, as evidenced by the fact that he has homered 25 times to go along with a .904 OPS this season. But he is clearly a significant injury risk.
Philadelphia could absolutely use Buxton, but if that ends up being the cost, it may look elsewhere for outfield assistance.
