One Trade Target That Both the Phillies and Braves Should Be Fighting Over

The Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves have spent the last few years trying to one-up each other in the NL East. But heading into this year’s trade deadline, they might end up fighting over the same guy.

ESPN’s David Schoenfield made the case this week that both teams should be chasing Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan. And honestly, it makes a lot of sense when you look at where each rotation stands right now.

For the Phillies, the top of the rotation is still strong with Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez. They’ve also got Jesus Luzardo, who they brought in to add depth. But beyond that? Schoenfield didn’t sugarcoat it. He wrote that Aaron Nola is “unusable in a playoff series” and noted that top prospect Andrew Painter is back in the minors. That’s not exactly a rotation built to beat the Dodgers in October.

Schoenfield put it bluntly: if you’re going to knock off L.A., you need to shut them down. And that means adding a fourth quality starter. The Phillies and Twins have done business before — they swung a big deal for Jhoan Duran at last year’s deadline — so there’s a working relationship there.

The Braves have their own problems

Atlanta’s rotation has taken some serious hits. Spencer Strider is on the IL. Bryce Elder has been struggling. And Spencer Schwellenbach still hasn’t started a rehab assignment, so it’s unclear when he’ll be back.

Schoenfield asked the obvious question: once you get past Chris Sale, do the Braves feel comfortable with anyone else starting the second game of a playoff series? The answer right now is probably no.

Ryan wouldn’t come cheap. He’s arguably the best starter available outside of Detroit’s Tarik Skubal, and here’s the kicker: he’s under team control through 2027. That’s not just a rental. A team trading for him would be getting three and a half years of a frontline starter.

Of course, there’s a catch. The Twins are very much in the AL Central race. So dealing Ryan right now feels unlikely, especially with Minnesota trying to make a playoff push of their own. Schoenfield acknowledged that it “appears less likely” Ryan gets moved, but he’s still the kind of arm both the Phillies and Braves should be calling about.

Whether either team actually lands him is another story. But the fact that both clubs have the same gap in their rotations and could end up bidding against each other? That’s a deadline subplot worth watching.