Diamondbacks infielder Eugenio Suarez (28) hits an RBI single against the Royals in the third inning during a game in Phoenix, at Chase Field on July 5, 2025.
One Phillies rumor is starting to grow legs.
We told you yesterday about the report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post that suggested the Phillies were in on Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez.
If you read that story, it was just the latest rumor from Heyman in an array of rumors involving the Phillies.
(Note: Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic suggested the Phillies and San Diego Padres are interested in Chicago White Sox centerfielder Luis Robert, which we have discussed ad nauseam here at On Pattison).
But now Scott Lauber from The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Arizona Diamondbacks had a scout at the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs game on Friday night.
That scout could have been looking at anyone. Hell, he might not have even been scouting the Phillies prospects. It could have been to watch the Norfolk Tides, the IronPigs opponent, who just so happen to be an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.
But, for the sake of this discussion, let's assume he was dispatched to Allentown for the very specific intention of watching Mick Abel pitch on Friday.
Poll time, #Phillies fans:
Would you trade Mick Abel straight up for Eugenio Suarez knowing Suarez is 34 and a free agent at the end of the season making him a rental for 2025 only? This would likely mean Kyle Schwarber is your left fielder the rest of the season.
After all, Abel has been superb in most of his Triple-A starts this season, and he's likely a trade chip for the Phillies, as the sixth of six Top 100 prospects in baseball according to MLB Pipeline.
It wasn't a particularly impressive outing for Abel. In fact, it was one of his worst starts of the season for Lehigh Valley. He pitched five innings and yielded five runs on seven hits.
So, he likely didn't impress the Arizona scout, or the myriad other scouts who were in attendance on Friday night.
But teams don't just go see a guy pitch once and make a determination on that alone. It's a good bet the Diamondbacks - and every other team the Phillies are talking to - have seen Abel pitch plenty. They've likely seen his dominant starts in Triple-A. They were probably tantalized by two superb starts to start his Major League career earlier this season.
There probably is some interest in Abel around the league. Just how much interest is the thing we don't really know.
But let's assume Arizona is intrigued by Abel. Let's say they would agree to a swap of Abel for Suarez. Would you do it?
Eugenio Suárez is out of this world right now 🤯 pic.twitter.com/GSbNfGKBxv
It's not as easy a call as it seems on paper. Everyone loves the longball, so the notion of adding a guy who has hit more than anyone in the sport this season except Ohtani, Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge can easily make you swoon at the possibilities batting behind Bryce Harper.
But aside from that, does he fit?
Defensively, no. You make a bad defensive team even worse. Has anyone been watching the New York Yankees lately? They're getting killed in games because they can't field. They've blown the lead in the AL East and are now 5 1/2 games behind Toronto. Being home run happy can only take you so far.
E5 • Eugenio Suarez • 8th error of the season
Arizona Diamondbacks errors on the season: 26
0️⃣5️⃣/2️⃣6️⃣/2️⃣5️⃣pic.twitter.com/AMkhucTjPE
It should be notable that as badly as the Yankees needed a third baseman, they preemptively chose to trade for Colorado's Ryan McMahon, rather than add Suarez's bat to their lineup. McMahon is a Gold Glove caliber third baseman who was always in the shadow of Nolan Arenado in the NL. He doesn't have the pop that Suarez has, but he is a left-handed bat, so he should run into some home runs in the Little League ballpark that is Yankee Stadium.
Defense aside, the Phillies would put themselves in a situation where they won't ever want to replace a subpar defensive left fielder in Schwarber because he's a potential MVP candidate as a hitter. You kind of pigeonhole yourself in that regard.
And then there's the concern of moving on from a young pitcher who has shown a lot of promise this season - including for a time at the Big League level.
If push came to shove, I would make this deal. But would need other things to happen, too. For example, I'd either want an upgrade in right field, or for Nick Castellanos to not pitch a fit if he's replaced defensively. That way, at least two-thirds of the outfield is solid when protecting a lead.
In addition, the bullpen still gets a big overhaul before the playoffs. I'm fine with Orion Kerkering, Matt Strahm, David Robertson and Tanner Banks being part of the playoff bullpen, but there needs to be two more high-octane, high-leverage arms that join them to make sure they slot in the right places.
Do those things, and I'm all on board with Abel for Suarez.
But if those things can't be done, I'd prefer to find a different way of plugging holes in this team to support it's greatest strength - starting pitching.
