Philadelphia Phillies Linked to Exciting Duo of Cardinals Pitchers

The Philadelphia Phillies could make a splash at the MLB trade deadline this season in blockbuster proportions.

One of the Phillies' main needs is an extra arm in the rotation, preferably someone capable of coming in and providing meaningful innings, but who also has the ability to start a postseason game if it came to that.

Philadelphia could also look to reinforce their bullpen for the stretch. While it's not as much of a concern as the rotation, adding an extra arm to the unit never hurts.

Two names that could be of interest to Philadelphia are St. Louis Cardinals starter Jordan Montgomery and backend reliever Jordan Hicks. Both players were linked as potential trade targets for the Phillies by MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

Montgomery makes perfect sense for Philadelphia as he is the type of guy to slot in right behind Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler and can be trusted to start in the postseason. And as a rental, Montgomery will come with a cheaper price tag than with a starter who has extra years of team control.

"When president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said last week that the Cardinals would be trading some players, Montgomery – an impending free agent owed a little more than $3 million this season – became an instant candidate to be dealt," writes Feinsand. "The 30-year-old has been a reliable rotation option for the past three seasons, pitching to a 3.27 ERA in 31 starts since being traded to St. Louis a year ago."

As for Hicks, the firebreather is another backend option for the Phillies as he has taken full advantage of the closer role in St. Louis. He would fit in nicely with the stable of guys that include the likes of Gregory Soto, Jose Alvarado, Craig Kimbrel and Seranthony Dominguez.

"Hicks is owed roughly $600,000 this season, making the impending free agent a very affordable bullpen option for contenders seeking bullpen help," says Feinsand. "The 26-year-old has a 1.91 ERA in 26 appearances dating back to May 8, and he's 8-for-9 in save opportunities since taking over the closer's role a month ago. Hicks ranks in the top 10 percent in average exit velocity, strikeout percentage, barrel percentage and xSLG this season."

Neither will come cheap, but perhaps packaging them together would lighten the damage that Philadelphia would have to incur in prospect capital.

Acquiring either of these two players would be significant in their own right.

But both? That is the stuff blockbusters are made of.

More From SI's Inside The Phillies: