Could the solution to the Phillies’ need for a righty-hitting left fielder come from the ... Mets?

Tommy Pham and Mark Canha would be good fits for the Phillies. They don't often trade with their rival from New York, but it has happened before.

Mets outfielder Tommy Pham is batting .271/.355/.472 with 15 doubles, nine homers, 11 steals, and a 129 OPS+.Read moreFrank Franklin II / AP

by Scott Lauber

Published July 24, 2023, 2:01 p.m. ET

In 62 years of coexistence, the Phillies and Mets have finished first and second, or vice versa, a total of four times. Yet despite such rare instances of mutual playoff contention — there are comets that appear more frequently — the division rivals have come together on only 28 trades — five in the last 25 years.

But hey, it has happened. (Never forget the Jason Vargas deal!) And if the teams are so inclined, there’s a trade that makes too much sense not to be completed before the Aug. 1 deadline.

First, the particulars:

The Phillies, a half-game out of a playoff spot entering the week, have informed other clubs that they are looking for a righty-hitting outfielder, a search that will only get more serious this week now that they know for certain that Bryce Harper is comfortable at first base.

The Mets happen to have two such creatures: Tommy Pham and Mark Canha, neither of whom is signed beyond this season. And despite an MLB-record $380 million payroll, the Mets have been buried in both the division (18½ games back) and wild card (7½ out).

Pham, 35, is having his best season since at least 2019. He’s batting .271/.355/.472 with 15 doubles, 9 homers, 11 steals, and a 129 OPS+, meaning he has been 29% better than league average. He has been slowed recently by a right groin strain but made a pinch-hit appearance Sunday night and is expected to be cleared to play this week.

Canha, 34, is batting .238/.338/.381 with six homers, two of which came on back-to-back days against the Phillies. He has slightly better, but relatively even, splits against righties than lefties, and plays solid defense: He had three outfield assists Sunday night in Boston.

After seven seasons in Oakland, Canha was part of the Mets’ high-priced free-agent class before last season. Pham has played for six teams in 10 seasons. He once challenged then-teammate Luke Voit to a fight and slapped the Giants’ Joc Pederson before a game last season over a fantasy football dispute. But Pham grew up in Las Vegas and might fit into a Phillies clubhouse that features Bryson Stott and Harper, baseball’s most well-known Las Vegan.

Pham and Canha have been everyday outfielders throughout their careers. Both have appeared in the postseason, with Pham (19-for-54, three homers) having more individual success than Canha (4-for-39, one homer).

And here’s the kicker: Neither will be much use to the Mets in August and September, especially when their at-bats could go to younger players. Pham is owed approximately $3.7 million; Canha about $7 million. The more of the salaries that the Mets are willing to pay, the more they can seek in return.

The Phillies are exploring multiple righty-hitting options in a fluid market. The Angels have won five of six games and may decide to hold on to walk-year outfielder Hunter Renfroe. The Red Sox are in limbo, too, with Adam Duvall as a potential fit for the Phillies. Everyone is watching the Cardinals, who have a glut of outfielders and should be able to fetch a solid return for controllable Tyler O’Neill or Dylan Carlson.

“I think really what we’re looking for a little bit is somebody that can swing the bat from the right-hand side, but not just any position, either,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said last week. “I keep a little open-mindedness to that because there’s some different type of thought processes that we have.”

Dombrowski suggested the Phillies could optimize for defense by moving Brandon Marsh to left field and playing recently recalled Johan Rojas in center. But Rojas, who remains raw as a hitter, hasn’t started since July 16, with the Phillies indicating a reluctance to play him against right-handed starting pitchers.

And the Phillies have been looking to replace Rhys Hoskins’ right-handed bat since his season-ending knee injury late in spring training. Over the last few weeks, officials from multiple rival teams said they believe the Phillies are prioritizing a hitter.

Pham has hit for more power against lefties (seven homers, .529 slugging percentage) and a higher average against righties (.278). He would be an everyday option, especially when Harper plays first base and Kyle Schwarber slides to DH.

But would the Mets really trade Pham or Canha to their division rival? Would the Phillies have to give up more — an intradivisional surcharge, if you will — to acquire Pham or Canha than a non-NL East team?

That wasn’t the case at the 2019 trade deadline, when the Phillies acquired Vargas for light-hitting minor-league catcher Austin Bossart. (Vargas went 1-4 with a 5.37 ERA in 11 starts down the stretch, and the Phillies missed the playoffs.)

A year earlier, the teams actually came together on two deals. At the deadline, the Phillies acquired infielder Asdrúbal Cabrera from the Mets for fringe pitching prospect Franklyn Kilome; a month later, the Phillies picked up José Bautista for cash.

The most famous Phillies-Mets swaps came in 1989 (Lenny Dykstra and Roger McDowell for Juan Samuel) and 1974 (Tug McGraw, Dave Schneck, and Don Hahn for Del Unser, John Stearns, and Mac Scarce).

This wouldn’t reach that level. But it may be time for the Phillies and Mets to match up on another trade.

They have a week to figure it out.