(Image courtesy of Cheryl Pursell)
There's a variety of ways former first-round pick Justin Crawford could potentially help the Phillies in 2025.
The first would be that the 20-year-old — who finished the season at Double-A Reading — forces the hands of the Phillies and makes his MLB Debut at some point next summer.
The second, though, is that Crawford is involved in a trade for an established player that's ready to help the Phillies on Opening Day.
To that end, in a story about how president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will construct the outfield for the Phillies in 2025, Matt Gelb of The Athletic wrote this of Crawford.
"The Phillies, according to major-league sources, have not excluded Crawford from trade talks. He would be moved only for a big-league player with multiple years of club control."
Gelb wrote previously that the Phillies "were willing to discuss every prospect but one in the farm system during trade talks in July," so this isn't especially shocking. (The one they apparently weren't willing to consider trading was RHP Andrew Painter.)
But it demonstrates the balance the Phillies are trying to strike. They've finally built a farm system that's headlined by some legitimate prospects. But the window on this current core may very well be closed before many of them, such as Crawford, are ready to be everyday contributors.
If Crawford was moved, it's unclear what type of deal he would be part of. He's a bit of a polarizing prospect, as Phillies Nation's Ty Daubert wrote over the summer. There are concerns about Crawford hitting the ball on the ground too much for his own good, but he hit .313 with 42 stolen bases between High-A and Double-A this past season. That's how you end up with MLB Pipeline ranking him as the No. 53 prospect in baseball, but Aram Leighton of Just Baseball having four Phillies in his top 100, none of whom are Crawford.
For a major trade — like Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox, for example — Crawford would probably have to be the No. 2 piece in a deal to someone like Aidan Miller.
Perhaps the Phillies, who have a perpetual need for an upgrade in center field, are better off holding onto Crawford. Whether it's 2025 or 2026, Crawford — the son of former All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford — could potentially be a solution to an issue the Phillies have had for more than a decade.
Then again, the temptation is going to be there to trade him for a piece that is at the height of his powers right now, helping to increase the chances that the Bryce Harper/Zack Wheeler Era includes at least one parade.
