Phillies probably will have to trade Mickey Moniak or Adam Haseley to get the pitcher they need | Bob Brookover

It’s noon Wednesday, and the clock is ticking down on the 2019 trade deadline. You’re Matt Klentak and you know you need a starting pitcher if you hope to have any chance of ending the Phillies’ playoff drought at seven seasons. Your best potential trading partner calls and says, “To complete the deal, we have to have either Mickey Moniak or Adam Haseley.”

What do you do?

It’s a difficult question that received a split opinion in a survey of four scouts who have watched Moniak and Haseley develop in the Phillies system since becoming first-round draft picks in consecutive years.

It is clear that third baseman Alec Bohm, the team’s first-round pick last year, is the Phillies farmhand drawing the most interest at this year’s deadline. But it is equally clear that the Phillies do not want to part with him or high-A Clearwater pitching prospect Spencer Howard.

That could mean that to make an impact trade, the Phillies will have to surrender Moniak or Haseley, and they should be willing to do so if it means they can land a significant rotation upgrade for the stretch run.

If, for example, you can get a pitcher such as Detroit’s Matthew Boyd, who is under contract through 2022, with Moniak or Haseley going the other way as the top prospect, it would be worth it. That’s also true for Arizona lefty Robbie Ray, who is under team control through next season.

The cost for Noah Syndergaard, Madison Bumgarner, or Marcus Stroman would probably be a lot higher than one of those two players as the top prospect going the other way.

»» READ MORE: Mickey Moniak, the Phillies’ 2016 No. 1 draft pick, is still working toward his major league breakthrough

But back to the question: Which player, Moniak or Haseley, would you rather see the Phillies keep?

“My opinion is that these two guys will never play in the outfield together with the Phillies,” one National League talent evaluator said. “I don’t think either one is capable of hitting 40 home runs, and if you’re playing in that ballpark, you need that kind of big-time pop at one of the corner spots.

“I do like both of them and think they’re going to be good major-league players, but I like Moniak a little more. He has really improved a lot, and I like the fact he is two years younger. I think he has a chance to grow into something more. He’s bigger this year than last year, and he’s just going to keep getting stronger. I wouldn’t give up a two-month rental for either one of those guys. It’s going to be a tough call for them.”

There is a consensus among scouts that both Moniak, 21, and Haseley, 23, will become productive big-league players. Haseley, the eighth overall selection in the 2017 draft, is already getting his chance, thanks to Andrew McCutchen’s season-ending injury and Odubel Herrera’s season-ending suspension.

It’s far too soon to make any declaration about what kind of player he will be, but it is fascinating that scouts are so divided on the Phillies’ two former first-round picks.

“My scouting opinion is you keep Moniak and let the other guy go,” a scout from the NL East said. “I think Moniak has a better chance to be more of an above-average player, while I see Haseley as an extra outfielder on a very good club. The biggest difference between them for me is that I think Moniak will be able to play both corner outfield spots and center field. I don’t think Haseley will be able to play center field.”

»» READ MORE: Phillies prospect Alec Bohm unfazed by rapid rise through minor leagues

Haseley has already started five games in center field in the big leagues, and he played more games there than at any other position in the minor leagues. He profiles as a contact hitter capable of posting both a high batting average and on-base percentage without striking out a lot.

“At the end of the day, I think Moniak is going to hit for more power,” the NL East scout said. “I don’t think either one is going to be an All-Star player because they are not real physical guys, but Moniak has a chance to develop more physically.”

Haseley is listed at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, and Moniak is listed at 6-2 and 185.

Haseley’s 12 home runs at three levels this season are a career best in professional baseball. Moniak, the first overall selection in 2016, has five home runs this season at double-A Reading, and his next home run will give him a career high in pro ball.

Moniak is the faster runner and bigger base-stealing threat.

A National League Central scout said he’d keep Haseley over Moniak because Haseley is more of a sure thing as a big-league player.

“I just think Haseley is the more polished bat,” the scout said. “I think Moniak has improved, but I still see him as a fourth outfielder.

"That said, he could be one of those guys that plays five days a week in three different places. He has made strides, but he has a ways to go. If they want to be a team that wins now and the next few years, I think Haseley is the guy you keep.”

Another scout from the NL Central agreed.

“When I saw them both at Reading, you could tell which one was the high school kid and which one was the college kid,” the scout said. “Haseley probably could have used a little more seasoning, but he looked pretty close to being ready.

"I put an everyday grade on Haseley, and I don’t see Moniak as being an everyday center fielder right now. I did see him early, and I know a lot of our people believe he is trending up. I’ll tell you what — they are both A-plus kids.”

It will be fascinating to see if the Phillies are willing to part with either one in this, their time of starting-pitching need.