After the Philadelphia Phillies got top closer Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, they went back to the well for a more moderate trade for Twins outfielder Harrison Bader.
The outfield has been a sore spot (again) for the Phillies this season. The combination of Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh, Max Kepler and Johan Rojas, as well as the other players who have contributed as outfielders this season, ranks 26th in the majors in OPS (.677), wRC+ (88) and 28th with 0.6 fWAR. Philadelphia's outfield also ranks 28th with -18 defensive runs saved (DRS) and 25th with -10 outs above average (OAA).
Needless to say, adding a new outfielder at the trade deadline was a must for Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Bader brings above-average defense and a right-handed bat and cost them just their No. 12 prospect Hendry Mendez and 16-year-old pitcher Geremy Villoria.
Bader's on-base percentage (.339), slugging percentage (.439), OPS (.778), wRC+ (117) and fWAR (2.0) all rank better than any of the Phillies' outfielders with at least 10 plate appearances. His +13 DRS ranks well ahead of Rojas' +4 DRA, while his +5 OAA ranks second behind Rojas' +6 OAA.
3 players who could be off active roster with Harrison Bader joining the Phillies
With Bader joining the team on Friday at Citizens Bank Park, someone will have to go from the active roster. Who will be the odd man out? Here are three Phillies who aren't as safe as they think with Bader coming to town.
Johan Rojas
Johan Rojas hasn't developed like the Phillies had hoped he would over the last two seasons. He's slashing .224/.280/.289 in 71 games this season. He has one home run, 18 RBIs, 23 runs scored and 12 steals. The soon-to-be 25-year-old still chases pitches out of the zone at a well-above-league-average clip of 39.6 percent and has a 23.3 percent strikeout rate.
So far, his speed and defense, and the fact that he's a right-handed hitter, have helped keep him in the majors. But with Bader's right-handed bat arriving, Rojas is a candidate to be optioned down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. If Rojas does get optioned, we could always see him back in Philly when rosters expand in September. He could definitely contribute off the bench down the stretch with his speed and defense.
Weston Wilson
Weston Wilson, who rejoined the big club when Alec Bohm went on the injured list, is another prime candidate to hit the road back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley when Bader is activated to the 26-man roster on Friday.
The right-handed-hitting Wilson has seen limited playing time while with the Phillies this season. Unlike the previous two years, he hasn't made the most of his opportunities this time around. Slashing .184/.311/.263 with a 28.9 percent strikeout rate in just 45 plate appearances, Wilson isn't making a strong case to stick around.
Wilson still has one minor league option, so the Phillies can stash him down with the IronPigs in case of an emergency, but he's not doing enough to even warrant a bench spot right now.
Max Kepler
The bane of every Phillies fan's existence this year, Max Kepler, hasn't been the offseason signing that the front office thought he would be.
Slashing .203/.297/.357 with a career-low .655 OPS, the 32-year-old Kepler has obviously found the transition to Philadelphia challenging. With just 11 home runs, 33 RBIs and 40 runs scored, the 32-year-old just hasn't contributed enough this season, despite getting plenty of chances.
He has played in 94 games for the Phillies but became infamous in Philly earlier in the season when he publicly raised concerns about his playing time. It wasn't a great look for an underachieving free agent signing making $10 million this year.
It doesn't seem like fellow left-handed hitter Brandon Marsh is going anywhere. With Bader, another former Twin, thrust into the outfield mix, Kepler could be shown the door sooner rather than later.