There are often players who change teams and don’t put together the same results. Think of Ryan Helsley and Cedric Mullins for the Mets last season. It can happen and sometimes it’s easy to see.
Once again, the Phillies will be buyers at the trade deadline, looking to bolster their club for a trip into October and hopefully longer.
There are just some players that you’re better off not paying the price for.
AJ Minter- New York Mets LHP
AJ Minter makes a lot of sense for the Phillies on the surface, he carries
a 1.71 ERA over 21 innings. The Phillies could use a left handed reliever with how Jose Alvarado, Tanner Banks, or Kyle Backhus has pitched for them. Minter has pitched in plenty of big games with the Atlanta Braves, and has a ring on his finger from the 2021 season.
But the 32-year-old left-hander is a regression risk. He has come back from his lat tear throwing over a tick slower and has had to change his pitch mix because of it. He’s leaned even more on his cutter, yet is still getting barreled often along with the lowest strikeout rate of his career.
He has pitched very well for the Mets because of a 2.4% walk rate and a very high strand rate. Could it work? It’s possible but it is hard to imagine either sustaining.
In four of Minter’s previous five seasons, he possessed a walk rate over 8%, with the exception being 2022, without question the best season of his career. There might be some walk regression coming, given that he cannot rely on throwing the fastball as much in the zone and the assumption that there is at least some command regression.
If he is already dealing with batted ball issues and strikeout issues, it is going to be hard to assume he can trade some walks. Minter just looks like a declining reliever that pitches worse moving forward.
Heliot Ramos- SF Giants Outfielder
Over the last three seasons, Heliot Ramos has a 115 OPS+ and has three additional seasons under club control at just 26 years old. It can be enticing but given his price, limitations, and potential regression, it might be best to avoid him.
Yes, the Phillies could really use a right handed bat this run and Ramos would be the de facto cleanup hitter. A lot of that says more about the current state of the Phillies than Ramos but there are other limitations.
As a hitter, Ramos’ numbers against right-handed pitching are bordering on a platoon risk already. He carries a .718 OPS against righties this season despite an outlier season against sliders and carries significant approach concerns. He has a chase rate of 37.2%, a high strikeout rate, and is allergic to walks. Sounds familiar?
While it is unfair to characterize him as a platoon player right now, the results are enough to justify him in the lineup, he is a slight slip away from being a short-side platoon corner outfielder and giving up premium prospect capital is just not worth it.
This is all forgetting that Ramos is limited as a player; he is not a good defensive left fielder on a team that already struggles to catch the ball. It would force Brandon Marsh to slide to right field, which is probably not what you want defensively, even if it could work fine.
There are also the longer-term team-building concerns that come with a trade like this. Trea Turner is no longer a shortstop, and may not even be an infielder anymore. Are they forcing him to stay in the infield with a move like this? Trading Brandon Marsh to make Turner work in the outfield? Maybe they could, it just feels like a lot for a player that might never have a three-win season.
Foster Griffin- Washington Nationals LHP
How we view starting pitchers with as much information as we do is tricky. I don’t think anyone views Foster Griffin as a top-of-the-rotation breakout after pitching three seasons in Japan. It would also be unfair to label Griffin as someone who actually stinks.
The cutter is a really good pitch for him, limiting hard contact and it gets enough whiffs. His sweeper and changeup are good pitches and the fastball isn’t getting crushed.
It is just that he is still at probably the highest ceiling he can get to, Griffin has pitched to a 2.68 ERA and made the All-Star Game for a Nationals organization that already looks like one of the sharpest in the sport. He has a very good strand rate, that could regress moving forward. He is also susceptible to pulled flyballs and home runs because he does not throw overwhelming stuff.
It is just hard to see him not regressing to the mean. Stuff has gone great for him over his first 20 starts of 2026, if he starts regressing to more like a high 3s, low 4s ERA pitcher, which is probably closer to who he is, that probably means really bad results moving forward.
Given the other rental starting pitcher options like Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, or even Robbie Ray, it just might be best to avoid Griffin.
