Andrew Painter is the top arm in the Phillies' system. (Cheryl Pursell)
Some peaks and valleys at Triple-A Lehigh Valley apparently haven't given the Phillies cold feet on No. 1 prospect Andrew Painter at all.
Despite Painter having a 4.97 ERA in 11 starts for the IronPigs, Matt Gelb of The Athletic says that the organization still seems strongly against trading the right-hander:
"When the Phillies progressed in trade talks with the Chicago White Sox for Garrett Crochet last summer, they were steadfast in deeming Andrew Painter untouchable. They have held firm on that stance this July. But everyone else in the organization, according to league sources, might be available to varying degrees."
While Painter isn't forcing the Phillies to consider a promotion in a manner that many expected he would be by July, he's a 22-year-old that has regained his velocity and seems healthy in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. If the Phillies felt that a rehabbing Painter was untouchable last summer in talks for a controllable frontline starter like Crochet, why would they think differently now that he's back on the mound?
Of course, nothing is legally binding. The Phillies could decide as it gets closer to July 31 to put Painter on the table if a unique opportunity like acquiring Emmanuel Clase and Steven Kwan from the Cleveland Guardians presents itself. Don't bet on that, though. The Phillies have been pretty steadfast in their belief that Painter has ace potential. Even for a team whose rotation is tracking as historically great, you don't trade those types of prospects.
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The good news for the Phillies is that even if they don't want to include Painter, there are other prospects in their system that you could build a trade around. In MLB Pipeline's latest updated top 100 prospects list, five other Phillies farmhands — SS Aidan Miller (No. 22), CF Justin Crawford (No. 49), C Eduardo Tait (No. 63), RHP Mick Abel (No. 87) and 2B Aroon Escobar (No. 97) — appear in addition to Painter (No. 10).
Normally, you wouldn't want to trade a prospect like Miller. But if you're intent on keeping Painter and think Crawford could potentially help you in the outfield later this season, that might have to be a sacrifice you make to improve the team's chances over the next few seasons. If the Phillies wind up acquiring a controllable closer like Clase, Félix Bautista of the Baltimore Orioles or Jhoan Durán of the Minnesota Twins, someone you'd rather not trade is going to have to headline the deal. And it doesn't sound like it will be Painter.
