What Would It Cost Phillies To Land Emmanuel Clase From Guardians?

It is no secret the Philadelphia Phillies are going to aggressively pursue upgrades for their bullpen ahead of the 2025 MLB trade deadline.

Without closer Jose Alvardo, who is serving an 80-game suspension and is ineligible for the postseason as a result, the backend of the bullpen could use an upgrade.

The Phillies haven’t received the kind of production they were hoping for from Jordan Romano, who was signed to help offset the losses of Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez in free agency.

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President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has made it clear that he intends to undo the offseason mistakes he made when it came to figuring things out in the bullpen.

Where could he look to address the need for a late-game and high-leverage relief pitcher?

One name to keep an eye on is Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians.

Under contract through the 2026 season with two team options following that, this is right about the time the frugal Guardians normally look to move a player to get back as much value in return as possible.

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Clase would be a massive upgrade at the backend of the Philadelphia bullpen since he's a three-time All-Star and two-time Mariano Rivera Award winner as the best relief pitcher in the American League.

Acquiring a player with that kind of track record who doesn’t turn 28 years old until next March is going to be costly.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) recently shared what Cleveland could seek in return for their star closer.

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Given their need for some offense, the Guardians could ask the Phillies for their star prospect, Aidan Miller, in return for Clase.

Miller’s future is a bit complicated given the unknown about what position he will play. His value will remain at its highest if he can stick at shortstop, but many evaluators believe he will eventually have to move positions.

He has had his struggles with the bat at Double-A Reading, but he was the No. 36-ranked or better prospect at every outlet heading into the 2025 campaign.

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Trading away a prospect of that caliber for a relief pitcher is risky, but maybe Philadelphia could expand the deal to include someone such as left fielder Steven Kwan.

With their outfield situation still being messy, acquiring the on-base machine and three-time Gold Glove defender would be a major boost for the lineup.

Addressing two needs could make the possibility of parting ways with Miller more palatable.

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