Phillies Could Reunite with Former Prospect Jonathan Villar

The Phillies could reunite with infielder Jonathan Villar, one of their former prospects dealt to the Houston Astros for Roy Oswalt in July 2010.

It’s no secret that the Phillies are considering to overhaul at least half of their infield this offseason, considering third baseman Maikel Franco and second baseman Cesar Hernandez are likely to be traded or non-tendered come Monday’s 8 p.m. deadline.

On Tuesday, the Phillies added two-time All-Star, and former teammate of Andrew McCutchen, infielder Josh Harrison to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training. The bigger headlines, however, are the Phillies’ rumored interest in more notable infielders in Didi Gregorius, Mike Moustakas, and Josh Donaldson, among others.

Acquiring Gregorius, for example, could shift shortstop Jean Segura to second base. Even Rhys Hoskins has been mentioned in trade rumors.

Hence, the 2020 Phillies infield is likely to be overhauled, so why not consider a reunion with one of their former prospects, infielder Jonathan VIllar?

On Tuesday, the Baltimore Orioles placed the seven-year veteran on outright waivers ahead of the non-tender deadline, after unsuccessfully being able to trade him. Baltimore chose to forgo the arbitration process with Villar, who was projected to receive $10.4 million.

The Baltimore Sun writes:

"Had the Orioles elected to tender Villar a contract by Monday’s deadline, they could have continued to try to trade him throughout the offseason and again ahead of July’s trade deadline. Instead, a player that led the Orioles’ position players in wins above replacement will be on the open market without Baltimore getting any return outside of salary relief."

Villar, 28, hit .274/.339/.453 this past season with the Orioles, with a career-high 24 home runs and 73 RBI, along with 40 stolen bases, a statistic the Phillies have faltered in recent seasons. He and Manny Machado are the only Orioles with at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases since 1999.

The La Vega, Dominican Republic, native was among the three players the Phillies dealt tot eh Houston Astros in July 2010 in exchange for right-hander Roy Oswalt.

Similar to the Phillies’ recent minor-league signing in Harrison, the switch-hitting Villar is versatile, having logged major league experience at the shortstop, second base and third base infield positions.

In total, Villar has logged 779 games in his career, 365 being with the Milwaukee Brewers, 216 with the Orioles and 198 with the Astros. Villar played every game this past season, one of only four players in the American League to do so.

It will be interesting to see if another team claims VIllar on outright waivers. If not, Villar will have the option to elect free agency and sign with any team. Perhaps that team could be the Phillies, who are likely looking to retool their roster, and infield in particular, for the 2020 season.