Phillies, Marlins Linked to Trade for Incredibly Unique Pitcher

The Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies could hook up on a trade for this very unique pitcher before the MLB trade deadline.

Jul 7, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Janson Junk (26) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Miami Marlins have quite a few pitchers they could move ahead of the MLB trade deadline, and considering they have already traded one arm to the Philadelphia Phillies recently, why not another?

Remember: during the offseason, the Marlins sent Jesus Luzardo to the Phillies, demonstrating that Miami is not exactly against dealing with NL East rivals.

Philadelphia will surely be looking for relief help before July 31, as the back end of the Phillies' bullpen has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster. But is it also possible that the Phils could aim to acquire a pitcher who can also start?

Enter Marlins breakout pitcher Janson Junk, who has made five starts in 10 appearances this season, logging a cool 2.68 ERA while allowing 46 hits and registering 38 strikeouts over 50.1 innings of work. But here's the real selling point: Junk has walked only four batters all year long.

The 29-year-old has boasted inhuman control in 2025, featuring a 0.7 BB/9 rate. While he isn't exactly a strikeout wizard, his ability to pinpoint his pitches is beyond valuable, and Michael Hanich of Heavy.com has listed Junk as a potential addition for the Phillies as a result.

Junk can both start and come out of the pen, so he could provide Philadelphia with a nice swing arm that could help in a pinch. Starting pitching isn't exactly a major need for Rob Thomson's squad, but you can never have enough quality hurlers, and Junk has certainly been that this season.

Miami could probably actually extract a decent prospect in return for Junk based on how well he has pitched in 2025. Plus, he is under team control all the way through 2030.

It doesn't make much sense for the rebuilding Marlins to keep Junk around for the long haul given his age, so it would actually be surprising if the Fish didn't move him within the next few weeks.

We'll see if the Phillies try and strike another deal with their divisional foe.

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