Platoon Bats
While Phillies fans no doubt would prefer some sort of big name to control the left fielder spot for the foreseeable future, Matt Klentak and the front office may just opt for the most cost-effective option. “Platooning” the position with a variety of backup-level players is a decision the Phillies have made before, and could make again in the near future.
Roman Quinn, Jay Bruce, and even Scott Kingery all rotated around out in the outfield last year after McCutchen went down with injury. Even a guy like Brad Miller saw some time at the position. If the Phillies do in fact opt to move on from McCutchen, but don’t feel inclined to do any serious upgrading to the position, simply rotating people around at the position is the final option.
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Failing to find an everyday starter out in LF screams the word “cheap” from the Phillies organization. The team tried this tactic last year when it came to the third base position, rotating between Maikel Franco, Kingery, Sean Rodriguez, and Miller, and it overall failed quite miserably. Three of the four names just mentioned are no longer with the team, and Kingery has never been a natural third baseman.
If the Phillies do in fact decide to take this route in 2021, the group responsible for maintaining the position would likely consist of Quinn, Kyle Garlick, and possibly even Nick Williams. Klentak could add a veteran on a minor-league deal similar to that of Miller, but regardless that’s a pretty below average group when compared to the rest of the MLB. Regardless of how Cutch is performing in two years, replacing him with a bunch of bench players is hopefully the last resort.