Much like the Doomsday clock Disney/Marvel has put in place to count down to the new IP they want to put on screen, the clock is counting down to the trade deadline for MLB. Once the All-Star festivities completed and the season started back up, teams turned their attention back to making deals to put their teams into position for the stretch run and, hopefully, beyond. What the Phillies actually need to acquire and how it should be prioritized is a matter of opinion. The focus has been on bats that can get on base and/or relievers to add to the bullpen, but this weekend also showed us how much they might need someone to create a sense of calm in the fifth starter’s position if they even want to get into the postseason at all.

In order to facilitate those trades, the Phillies will have to surrender something in return, no easy task. Baseball America recently ranked the farm system the team has as the 29th best in the game, something that might make it difficult to make a deal to give them the impact bat/relief arm many would prefer they get. Yet trades will happen and the Phillies will be involved in some capacity, so let’s take a stab at ranking some of their prospects in terms of their trade value and what they might be able to command on the open market. This isn’t necessarily a ranking of what their farm system is as it stands. Rather, it’s look at prospects and how they might rank if we’re talking about those most likely to be dealt.

Note: any scouting reports used here will come from Matt Winkelman’s outstanding work covering the system unless otherwise noted. All stats through Wednesday’s games.

7. Alirio Ferrebus, C, Clearwater

Ferrebus has been one of the few breakouts the Phillies’ system has had this year. Fangraphs had him ranked 20th on the Phillies list coming into the season and all he has done is hit. A .328/.379/.511 line on the year with 11 home runs and 56 RBI is going to get the attention of people, as will the striking out less than 14% of the time he is at the plate. Yet it’s also the way he’s hitting that is going to be enticing. He’s maxed out with a 111.7 mph exit velocity, so the power is there and showing up in game.

Fantastic day at the plate for Phillies prospect Alirio Ferrebus. He went 4-5 with 4 RBI, a double, and this home run.

Ferrebus now has 11 homers this season and is hitting .328 with a .909 OPS pic.twitter.com/IwlP9W2Sbs
— FuturePhils (@FuturePhils) July 22, 2026

He’s making good swing decisions, basically doing all the things the team wants him to do. His staying as a catcher is still something of a question mark, but the way he is swinging the bat, he simply needs to get to something a tic below average to have a lot of value. This might be a little low of a ranking, but with catchers, development isn’t really linear. Some might be hesitant to give up a lot for him if he can’t stay as a catcher, which adds to the wild card-ness of his profile.

What would be able to bring the Phillies: Ferrebus likely wouldn’t be enough to be the lead of any significant deal, but he’s a solid second piece in a trade.

6. Bryan Rincon, SS, Jersey Shore

Another breakout for the Phillies, Rincon is healthy and producing. He had 13 home runs and 23 stolen bases, showing more power than he has in the past and regaining the speed that made him an intriguing up the middle prospect. The question is – is there more development left for him, or is this pretty much what he is? If that’s the case, the consideration must be made that his trade value is somewhat small, which brings us to…

What would be able to bring the Phillies: For now, he seems to be very much in the boat of “third piece in a deal” if they were looking to acquire someone fairly significant, as reports seem to be. However, Rincon also has that whiff about him of a player that would be a fine return for a team looking at a one-for-one deal for a bullpen addition. His value might vacillate quite a bit.

5. Marty Gair, RHP, Clearwater

Does 102 do it for you?

#Phillies prospect Marty Gair throws Gas 🔥 He struck out 2 batters in the 9th inning for the @Threshers tonight and hit 102.2 MPH! The hardest pitch thrown by a player in the Phillies org this season

The 22 year old was the Phillies 13th round pick in the 2023 draft pic.twitter.com/xRDRZt1sJT
— FuturePhils (@FuturePhils) May 16, 2026

Teams love bringing back wild card arms in trades and Gair is one that would qualify. He has had a solid season down in Clearwater, clearly demonstrating the ability to throw the baseball past hitters at that level. Does it play as he moves up the minor league ladder? Well, looking at at least one game to see his metrics on the fastball, there is something here that teams would be interested in working with. Seeing as how he has an induced vertical break on the fastball of 19 inches with some cut to it, that’s a major league fastball. Maybe it needs some refinement, which he clearly does with that and his secondary stuff, but this is a definite player teams would have interest in.

What would be able to bring the Phillies: Let’s also be realistic here. Gair is a reliever. Teams aren’t going to make a pitcher like that a priority in a deal unless it is similar to Rincon, a one-for-one move for a bullpen arm. Yet this is something that is tantalizing, a piece that could bring some teams something maybe they don’t have in their current system, an arm that can rush it up to the plate with pitch characteristics that play in higher levels

4. Brad Pacheco, RHP, Clearwater

The Phillies seem to be able to develop right handed pitching rather well in their minor league system and it’s beginning to look like Pacheco is going to be another. He had thrown strikes this year and done so with a fastball that reaches into the high nineties, all complemented by a changeup that grades out as plus.

If you're looking for the Phillies' next Ramon Marquez, look no further than Brad Pacheco. He fired off five strong innings for Clearwater tonight.

His last three starts:

16.0 IP, 1.13 ERA, 0.56 WHIP, 18 K. He's walked one batter.
— Alex Carr (@AlexCarrMLB) July 23, 2026

These are the stepping stones teams that can develop pitchers well seek out when looking at prospects to acquire in a deal. Pachecho may have developed into that.

What would be able to bring the Phillies: As all the scouting reports you read about him talk about, being six feet tall has his profile at risk of being a reliever. He’s been developed by the Phillies as a starter and he has shown success, so teams would likely continue that path with him. Does he lead a trade package? Probably not, but he’s a darn good second piece.

3. Aroon Escobar, 2B, Reading

Players in the minors go through down parts of their development as we all know that that development is rarely linear. Escobar is one that is in the down part. He has not had a good season this year as he’s hitting for significantly less power than he did just a year ago. There are some bright spots to see as he’s walking a bit more and striking out a bit less, but even then, there is bit of a line of demarcation with his season. As Winkelman q...

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