The Philadelphia Phillies have two clear holes in their roster that they need to fill at the trade deadline: a right-handed outfielder and a bullpen arm.
They could look to fill both spots in one trade with the Washington Nationals, who, conveniently, are selling both of those positions in the coming days.
Matt Gelb of the Athletics is reporting that the Phillies have some interest in both the outfielder, Lane Thomas, and the bullpen arm, Kyle Finnegan.
“The Phillies are interested in hard-throwing reliever Kyle Finnegan and outfielder Lane Thomas, according to multiple major-league sources,” Gelb wrote.
There has been a ton of speculation around the Phillies and what they would end up doing at the deadline. A deal like this could cut them down to making one or two trades before dialing it all in for their playoff push.
Thomas, 28, is slashing .247/.317/.397 with 26 stolen bases and 24 extra-base hits. He has an additional year of arbitration to cover the 2025 season. According to Baseball Savant, Thomas is one of the better baserunners in the league, per Baserunning Run-Value. His xBA is also much higher than his real batting average which indicates that it will soon rise.
Finnegan, 32, has an additional year of arbitration on his contract in 2025. He’s thrown to an impressive 2.32 ERA across 44 appearances where he’s recording 28 saves. The righty is a hard thrower that complements his fastball with a wipeout splitter.
