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Phillies: Should they consider signing Yasiel Puig for 2020?

By David Esser

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 17: Yasiel Puig #66 of the Los Angeles Dodgers watches his double during the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on August 17, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 17: Yasiel Puig #66 of the Los Angeles Dodgers watches his double during the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on August 17, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 22: Yasiel Puig #66 of the Cleveland Indians bats as J.T. Realmuto #10 of the Philadelphia Phillies looks on in the first inning at Progressive Field on September 22, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians defeated the Phillies 10-1. (Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images) /

Yasiel Puig has a place in the Phillies lineup

When it comes to the Phillies specifically, the team is quite set at the outfield position. Bryce Harper is obviously the team’s franchise right fielder, former MVP Andrew McCutchen is returning from injury, Adam Haseley looked impressive in his rookie season last year, and guys like Roman Quinn and Jay Bruce project to be above-average bench options.

However, with the new universal DH rule set to be implemented for 2020, the Phillies now have room for some extra bats.

For starters, Puig would absolutely thrive in a designated hitter role. Known for his ability to hit the long ball (132 career home runs), Puig has the exact physical build of a stereotypical slugging DH. On top of that, the Phillies could also use Puig as a way to give McCutchen some much-needed rest as he continues to recover from his nasty ACL tear.

Giving Cutch some days off in the DH position while Puig holds down left field is quite the combo.

While Alec Bohm could be a DH option headed into this shortened season, there’s no guarantee he’ll start there every day. Joe Girardi will likely want to see Bohm play some first and third base, and as a rookie, he’ll likely get more days off than usual. While the Phillies could just use a guy like Bruce as the odd DH substitute, Puig is an obvious upgrade.

When looking at things more simply, Puig’s 2019 OPS would have ranked as the fifth best on the entire Phillies’ roster. It’s just a blatant upgrade by all definitions.

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