Jul 28, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) and Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor (23) celebrate win against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports Eric Hartline
With three weeks until the July 31 trade deadline, ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan wrote Thursday about who he believes would be the best fit for each contending team.
His fit for the Phillies? Reigning Mariano Rivera Award winner Emmanuel Clase, the current closer for the Cleveland Guardians:
As long as the Phillies are aiming high -- and nobody aims high quite like Dave Dombrowski -- perhaps they could take a run at landing both Clase and Steven Kwan from Cleveland. Maybe it would take Andrew Painter. Maybe Aidan Miller. Maybe Justin Crawford. Regardless, the Phillies' window is closing, and getting both club control (Clase is under contract through 2028 and Kwan through 2027) and cost certainty (Clase is due $26 million for the next three years and Kwan less than $20 million for two) would make dealing high-end prospects significantly more palatable.
We'll get to the Kwan angle in a second, but first let's focus on Clase.
The three-time All-Star had one of the most dominant seasons a closer has ever had in 2024, converting 47 of 50 save attempts while posting a minuscule 0.61 ERA over 74 games. As the headliner of one of the greatest bullpens in MLB history, Clase finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting, a pretty remarkable accomplishment for a reliever.
In the interests of presenting the entire picture, it's fair to point out that Clase hit a wall in the postseason, as evidenced by his 9.00 ERA in seven appearances. Part of that is the Guardians were overly reliant on their bullpen because they didn't have a very good starting rotation. But star closers have tended to hit walls more dramatically in the postseason than starting pitchers or position players, so that's something to consider.
This season, Clase got off to a slow start, posting an unsightly 6.75 ERA between March and April. However, since then he's been lights out, posting a 1.33 ERA over 27 innings of work.
Emmanuel Clase's contract is a team-friendly one. (Spotrac)When you factor in that Clase is signed to an extremely team-friendly contract — one that's paying him $4.9 million in 2025, $6.4 million in 2026 and has matching $10 million club options for 2027 and 2028 — it's easy to see why he would be such an attractive trade piece for the Phillies and other bullpen-needy clubs.
Exactly how much the Phillies would be willing to give up for Clase is a fair question. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has been hesitant to make major commitments in the bullpen during his time on the job because of the volatile nature of relievers. But he has made major moves to land relief pitchers in the past, such as when he traded for Craig Kimbrel with the Boston Red Sox in November of 2015. The Phillies are 23rd in bullpen ERA currently at 4.39, and the incompetence of their bullpen threatens to waste what has been one of the best starting pitching staffs in modern history.
There's a fair debate to be had about whether the Phillies would be better off spreading out their resources on multiple relievers, as opposed to splurging on one. This is not a team that's just one reliever away. Even with the possibility of a starter moving to the bullpen in the postseason, the Phillies still feel like they are two late-inning arms away from having a World Series caliber bullpen. But no team is going to be perfect, and the addition of Clase would massively change the outlook on this bullpen.
As far as Kwan, On Pattison wrote about how the Phillies should check in with the struggling — and low budget — Guardians on his availability earlier this week. He can't become a free agent until after the 2027 season, so Cleveland might not be ready to move him now. But he is ticking closer to free agency, and Cleveland could maximize the return for the three-time Gold Glove left fielder if they moved him now. Kwan is a left-handed hitter, but would give the Phillies another top-of-the-order presence to compliment Trea Turner and set the table for Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.
In terms of a megadeal that would allow the Phillies to acquire both Clase and Kwan, it would likely take an astronomical package of young talent — like maybe Andrew Painter and Aidan Miller, the two top prospects in the organization. Considering the Phillies reportedly weren't willing to trade Painter for Garrett Crochet last summer, it's hard to think they will this time around. Yes, Painter has a 4.97 ERA in 11 starts at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. But he's a 22-year-old in his first year back after Tommy John surgery. If the Phillies believe he's going to be a front-line starter still, they should hold onto him, even though starting pitching isn't a current need.
The whole thing, though, is an interesting discussion. Adding one of Clase or Kwan would improve the Phillies' chances of winning a World Series in 2025. If they somehow managed to acquire both, they might become the favorites in a year where there isn't a juggernaut.
