Phillies: Three outfielders they could acquire at the trade deadline
Will the Phillies add another bat to their lineup at the MLB Trade Deadline?
As the trade deadline of August 31st approaches, there are a few outfielders worth looking at to add to the Phillies roster.
It’s no surprise that the Philadelphia Phillies pitching staff needs a little work, but so does the offense. No ball club should rely on a few players to get the runs needed to win for the whole team.
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There have been four reliable hitters this season and here are their stats so far going into Tuesday night:
- Andrew McCutchen with 14 RBI, 2 home runs, a batting average of .238 and an on-base percentage of .286.
- Didi Gregorius with 16 RBI, 4 home runs, a batting average of .289 and an on-base percentage of .344.
- Bryce Harper with 19 RBI, 7 home runs, a batting average of .320 and an on-base percentage of .453.
- J.T. Realmuto with 22 RBI, 8 home runs, a batting average of .294 and an on-base percentage of .348.
An honorable mention would, of course, be Alec Bohm who has been a solid hitter since his MLB debut, with five RBI, one home run, a batting average of .344, and an on-base percentage of .462 in just 11 games.
RELATED | Phillies: Alec Bohm proving to be solid new addition to team
The Phillies are 10-14 on the season so far and have lost 10 of the last 16 games. They have 36 games left in the regular season to figure out how to improve in this must-win season. With new talent like Bohm, as well as possibly adding in some new bats and pitching, it could happen.
Here’s a look at some good options for outfielders to add.
Will the Phillies pull off another trade with the Boston Red Sox?
Jackie Bradley Jr., nicknamed JBJ, is a 30-year old MLB veteran and would be a good option to add some more outfield depth to the Phillies roster.
He has been with the Red Sox his whole major league career thus far, spanning from 2013 until now. His debut was on April 1, 2013, and even though that was April Fool’s Day, he has not had a joke of a career.
Throughout his major league baseball career, he’s accomplished a lot. He was an All-Star in 2015, became a World Series Champion in 2018, and that same year, was named the ALCS MVP and even won a Gold Glove Award.
The Gold Glove Award is obviously not surprising; the only thing surprising to me is that he doesn’t have more.
He has a career average of .236 and with that, Bradley Jr. has hit 93 home runs, 362 RBI, has an on-base percentage of .317, and has stolen a base 55 times.
So far this 2020 season, Jackie’s average is .236 with two home runs, eight RBI and an on-base percentage of .300. Even though his at-the-plate numbers could be better, his defense has always been on point.
His veteran presence combined with his defensive skills in the outfield makes him a good candidate as a possible new addition to the Phillies.
On the same roster as Bradley Jr., another, possibly better, option is fellow outfielder Kevin Pillar.
Red Sox outfielder Kevin Pillar is another potential trade option for the Phillies
Having also started his major league career in 2013, Kevin Pillar is a solid option for the Phillies outfield as well.
He was with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2013-2019, then went to the San Francisco Giants in 2019, and was then picked up by the Red Sox this year. He made his major league debut on August 14, 2013.
Kevin has received quite a few notable awards, including being named the AL player of the week in 2015 with the Blue Jays, as well as being named the Blue Jays’ most improved player and the Wilson defensive player of the year that same year. He has also received the Giants’ Willie McCovey award.
After being traded to the Giants, Pillar hit a grand slam – the first of his career. After having a good season with the Giants, however, he became a free agent as they did not tender his contract.
Here is a clip of this career milestone:
KEVIN. PILLAR. GRAND. SLAM. pic.twitter.com/OrhejnHBuC
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 9, 2019
Enter the Red Sox. In February this year, the Red Sox signed Pillar to a one-year contract worth $4.25 million.
Pillar has a career average of .261, he has hit 79 home runs, has 329 RBI and an on-base percentage of .297 with 84 stolen bases.
So far this season, Kevin has an average of .276, he has hit three home runs, 11 RBI, has an on-base percentage of .336 and has stolen 1 base.
Pillar is a major league veteran, as well and could contribute a lot to the Phillies roster.
Another former Giant, who happens to be a former Phillie as well, is an outfielder that just became available.
Would the Phillies entertain reuniting with Hunter Pence?
Hunter Pence, fresh off of being DFA’d by the Giants, is another outfielder worth looking at.
Pence had his major league debut on April 28, 2007 for the Houston Astros. He was with them from 2007-2011 when he was traded to the Phillies. He had a solid stint with the Phillies, but was eventually traded at the trade deadline to the Giants almost a year later.
Hunter played with the Giants from 2012-2018. In 2019, he signed with the Texas Rangers but it was a minor league contract and he was invited to spring training. He did make the opening day roster with the Rangers.
This year, Pence re-signed with the Giants but after a not-so-pleasant start to this short season, was designated for assignment and then released.
On his career so far, Hunter Pence has an average of .279, has hit 244 home runs, 942 RBI and has an on-base percentage of .334 with 120 stolen bases.
As far as his awards go, Pence has received many. He was named the Astros rookie of the year in 2007, Astros MVP in 2010 and 2011, received the Giants Willie McCovey award in 2013, has been the NL player of the week four times, AL All-Star in 2019, NL All-Star in 2009, 2011 and 2014 and has been a World Series Champion twice with the Giants in 2012 and 2014.
Even when you miss the mark there is beauty in your teammates backing you up and supporting you pic.twitter.com/TQwSDe7dhy
— Hunter Pence (@hunterpence) August 9, 2020
Despite the fact that he is 37-years old and looking past his start to the 2020 season, he has more baseball left in him. Maybe a return to the Phillies is what he needs.
Could the Phillies pick up one of these outfielders before or at the trade deadline? We’ll just have to wait and see.