May 18, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Mick Abel (40) reacts during an interview after the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images Kyle Ross
Jim Bowden — the former general manager of both the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals — recently penned an article in The Athletic on six trades he would like to see before the July 31 trade deadline, and he had an interesting proposal for the Phillies.
Bowden's concept would see the Phillies trade rookie right-hander Mick Abel to the Baltimore Orioles for closer Félix Bautista and center fielder Cedric Mullins:
The Phillies’ two biggest needs are closer and center field, and this scenario would hit both in one swap, even though it would come at a significant price. Bautista is one of the premier closers in baseball and is under team control through 2027. Mullins is an elite defensive center fielder who hits homers and steals bases, but he will be a free agent at season’s end.
So what should you make of this proposal? First of all, the thought here is that the Phillies would have to give up much more than this to acquire Bautista and Mullins. As desperate as general manager Mike Elias and the Orioles are for starting pitching, they probably wouldn't even do Abel for Bautista straight up, in our opinion.
But if the O's were willing to do this deal, the Phillies would be wise to pounce on it.
That's not to say it wouldn't burn to give up Abel, a former first-round pick that's 23 years old and has a 2.21 ERA and 4.05 FIP over his first four MLB starts. But Abel had back-to-back disappointing seasons in the minors in 2023 and 2024, struggling with his control. Coming into the year, many outlets didn't even have him ranked as a top-10 prospect in the organization. He does have good stuff, and it's possible that he's turned the corner. But this may also be your chance to sell high on him. It's a delicate balance.
What we do know is that as things stand now, Abel doesn't project to be in the Opening Day starting rotation for the Phillies in 2026. Even if Ranger Suárez departs in free agency, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Cristopher Sánchez are signed to long-term contracts. Jesús Luzardo will be in his final arbitration year. And presumably Andrew Painter — the No. 1 prospect in the organization — will have a spot as well. Taijuan Walker will also be under contract, and while he's accepted a move to the bullpen for the time being, he's maintained a desire to be a starting pitcher.
As the Phillies have found out this year, it's great to have seven or eight starters, especially as Wheeler and Nola age. But Bautista and Mullins would have a greater impact on the remainder of 2025 than Abel in all likelihood, and you would then have the former Mariano Rivera Award winner under team control for two additional seasons.
Felix Bautista entered tonight with only 3 fastballs over 99.0 mph this season.
He threw three such fastballs tonight alone, including this 99.2 mph heater to slam the door on the Orioles' 2-0 win.
It won't be long before he's touching triple digits. pic.twitter.com/akajOdxMDl
Speaking of Bautista, he was the top reliever in the American League two seasons ago, recording 33 saves and posting a 1.48 ERA in 56 games. He missed all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery, and it took him a little while to get going in 2025. But the soon-to-be 30-year-old hasn't allowed a run in six appearances in June.
Meanwhile, Mullins never developed into the superstar he once seemed destined to be, but he's still a nice player at a position without a ton of guys capable of making a consistent impact. Mullins is hitting .228 with 11 home runs and a .755 OPS this season. Defensive metrics are divided on him, as he has two outs above average, but minus-9 defensive runs saved.
The thought in acquiring Mullins would likely be that he's a placeholder for Justin Crawford. He would give the Phillies another left-handed hitter, though if he joined the team it would almost certainly mean that one of Brandon Marsh or Max Kepler would be flipped in a separate deal.
Again, much of this is moot in our estimation. To land just Bautista alone, we would suggest it would take a package like Abel, Aroon Escobar and Jean Cabrera. That might be a deal worth doing, but it's a very different discussion than what Bowden is proposing above.
