How will Phillies trading for Harrison Bader impact Justin Crawford?

Nine years ago, when Dave Dombrowski ran the Red Sox’s baseball operations, he traded for a Twins reliever at the deadline, then called up his best outfield prospect from triple A the next day.

Is history about to repeat?

OK, maybe not exactly. Because nobody will mistake star closer Jhoan Duran for middle-inning lefty Fernando Abad. And although Justin Crawford sure does have a lot in common with Andrew Benintendi, it doesn’t sound like he will be walking into the Phillies’ clubhouse on Friday.

» READ MORE: Phillies acquire closer Jhoan Duran from Twins: ‘He was the best guy out there’

“We think he’s ready to play at the big league level. We could bring him up,” Dombrowski said Thursday night, after the trade deadline came and went. “If we do bring him up, he needs to play — a lot. I’m not sure that we’re in a position to do that at this point today. But he’s not somebody that we would hesitate to bring up if we decide that was the right thing to do.”

Maybe soon, though. Very soon.

Because in the hours leading up to the deadline, one question facing Phillies officials was this: Could they acquire an outfielder who would have a bigger impact than whatever is realistic for Crawford?

The answer: Not necessarily.

First, a few of the available options, listed alphabetically:

Kwan, the biggest name on the board, stayed in Cleveland. Donovan, who plays multiple infield and outfield positions and has two more years of club control, didn’t leave St. Louis.

Mullins, a walk-year option, went to the Mets. Laureano, a more intriguing Orioles outfielder because of his $6.5 million option for next year, got dealt to the Padres. Castro, a versatile player with an expiring contract, moved to the Cubs as part of the Twins’ everyone-must-go sell-off.

» READ MORE: Could a change of scenery help White Sox’s Luis Robert Jr.? Phillies pitcher Tanner Banks believes it can.

Then there was Robert, who drew interest from both the Phillies and Mets. His talent is undeniable. He’s two years removed from a 38-homer, 20-steal season for the White Sox. He turns 28 on Sunday. And those who believe in him insist he would be reinvigorated by getting out of Chicago.

“He’s the complete package,” said Phillies reliever Tanner Banks, Robert’s former teammate with the White Sox. “He’s young. He’s very toolsy. He’s not a guy I like to face. Even if he’s having a down year, I don’t like to face him.”

But Robert’s value in the marketplace was complicated by his $20 million team options for 2026 and 2027. Rival teams viewed him as a rental; the White Sox peddled him as a controllable player. They placed a high price on him, one major league source said, signaling that they’d consider picking up his 2026 option.

It turned out, the White Sox weren’t bluffing.

Robert didn’t get traded.

And so, the Phillies came up with Bader in a trade with the Twins. A former Gold Glove center fielder, he has “played better than we would’ve projected him to play,” said Dombrowski, who deferred to manager Rob Thomson about how much Bader will actually play for the Phillies.

“The type of player he is, he’s been a good player for years, really,” Dombrowski said. “But this year’s a little bit better from an offensive perspective. It’s not like he’s hitting .400. He’s been just producing on a regular basis. We just think he’s played well and he can continue to do so.”

» READ MORE: Phillies acquire outfielder Harrison Bader from the Twins: ‘He’s going to play a lot’

It’s doubtful, though, that Bader will stand in the way of Crawford getting into the everyday lineup. Max Kepler might be. The Phillies signed Kepler for $10 million, and although he’s batting .203 with 11 homers and a .655 OPS, Dombrowski said he’s “part of our roster at this time.”

Until that changes, Crawford will stay in triple A.

Crawford, 21, is third in the International League in batting average (.325), sixth in on-base percentage (.411), and third in stolen bases (33). His contact skills are exemplary. His defense gets somewhat mixed though generally favorable reviews.

But Crawford is polarizing within the sport because of his extreme tendency to hit the ball on the ground. His ground ball rate this season is 61.8%. For context, the Brewers’ Christian Yelich (60.1%) is the only qualified major-league hitter with a ground ball rate higher than 55%.

“He’s got an unusual type of batting style in that he hits a lot more balls on the ground, which, in his case, I don’t think is really bad,” Dombrowski said. “And also he hits a lot of balls to the opposite field. But he also has the speed to beat those out. He’s an exciting type of player.”

Besides, the Phillies would want Crawford to bat at the bottom of the order, at least initially, and provide energy and speed.

Just as the Red Sox did with Benintendi.

Like Crawford, Benintendi was 21 when he made his major-league debut on Aug. 2, 2016, in Seattle. He made his first start a day later, batting ninth in left field, and got two hits. In 118 plate appearances down the stretch, he batted .295 with an .835 OPS and helped the Red Sox win the AL East title.

» READ MORE: What’s it like for players dealt at baseball’s trade deadline? Three Phillies tell their stories.

Dombrowski brought up Benintendi’s name a few weeks ago in answering a question about his philosophy on the best time to call up a top prospect.

“I’ve brought guys up in pennant races and they’ve done very well,” he said. “Benintendi and [Rafael] Devers [in 2017], at times. They’ve done very well for us.”

Crawford’s time is getting closer. It might not be the day after the trade deadline, but it’s coming soon.