The Phillies outfield struggles have been a noted aspect of the franchises recent decline. Could a division rival provide them with some offensive help?
Since losing the trio of Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino, and Jayson Werth the Phillies outfield has been a mixed bag to say the least. Names such as John Mayberry Jr, Marlon Byrd, Ben Francisco, and Dominic Brown have roamed the outfield in recent years and have provided limited offensive output.
The struggles of the Phillies outfield has declined once again this year, although Rule 5 picks Odubel Herrera looks to be the real deal and Tyler Goeddel has come into his own as of late.
The third outfield spot has seemingly been up for grabs all year. Darin Ruf, Peter Bourjos, David Lough and Cedric Hunter have all been given a chance but have failed to blow the organization away.
Because of the lack of offensive output from the majority of the outfield (in particular the corners) the Phillies may be poking in on the trade block.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe suggests that the Phillies could be interested in Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis.
"Teams such as the Royals and Phillies are also looking at Atlanta’s Nick Markakis, though the money is an issue there, especially with the Royals"
Markakis is an interesting name if you are the Phillies, especially since they are needing help on offense. The 32 year old is only hitting .252 in 41 games and has been on a cold streak over the past 30 days, hitting only .219. Additionally, he only has one home run this season, which would not benefit the Phillies need for power after Howard and Franco.
Additionally, he’s only in the second year of a four-year, $42 million deal and will earn approximately half of that over the next two seasons.
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On the other hand, Markakis is a strong hitter in Citizens Bank Park. The lefty hits .302 in Philadelphia and has 15 hits in 13 games. In ball parks where he has had at least 50 appearances, The Bank is seventh on parks Markakis hits best in throughout his career.
He could also be dangled as trade bait come July or August at the waiver deadline. Should the Phillies begin to slip (as many expect) in the months of July and August Markakis could be an interesting name to throw to the wolves in exchange for a lower level prospect or a career AAA player (Darnell Sweeney comes to mind) who needs a change of scenery.
The Phillies shouldn’t have to give up too much for Nick Markakis either. A team such as Atlanta (who hold the second worst record in baseball) will take virtually anything for an aging outfielder with limited production. A player such as the afore-mentioned Sweeney or a lower level prospect such as Deivi Grullon, a 20 year old catcher in Single-A Lakewood could potentially swing a deal.
Should the Phillies make any kind of move, expect either David Lough or Emmanuel Burris to be handed a one-way ticket to Lehigh Valley.