The Philadelphia Phillies signed free agent outfielder Max Kepler this offseason as the potential solution to their outfield. After all, the 10-year veteran has shown the ability to be productive on both sides of the ball throughout his career, averaging 20+ home runs and 70+ RBI a season while registering 50 DRS and a .993 fielding percentage in over 1,037 games in the field.
Added to the strong backup outfield contending contingent in Weston Wilson, Buddy Kennedy, Kody Clemens and Cal Stevenson, the Phillies appeared set for the 2025 campaign.
However, Wilson, the leading bench favorite, went down with a freak injury. Also, despite Kepler being tagged by the Phillies as the everyday left fielder, his career .221 batting average and .655 OPS against left-handed pitching leaves a lot to be desired, especially over a full season. As a result, the Phillies should still be looking for potential depth pieces just in case things don’t end up going as planned.
As a result, here are three top outfield targets that still remain in free agency who the Phillies should pursue before Opening Day rolls around.
3 top free agent outfielders the Phillies should target before Opening Day
Adam Duvall
He may be a bit past his prime, but when it comes to Adam Duvall, he could be an ideal platoon or reserve piece in the outfield if the Phillies choose to entertain the idea. The 36-year-old right-handed hitter has posted a .234 average and .780 OPS, along with 53 home runs and 143 RBI in 909 career at-bats against left-handed pitching. That power output works out to almost one home run per 17 at-bats. Also, Duvall’s OPS against lefties is 125 points higher than what Kepler has put up for his career.
Moreover, Duvall’s performance from last season should convince observers that he still hasn’t lost a step as a lefty masher. Despite his down season in 2024, in which he batted a dismal .182 with just 11 home runs and 30 RBI in 104 games with the Atlanta Braves, he still managed to hit at a .252 clip with a .342 on-base percentage and .856 OPS, with 17 runs scored, eight home runs and 19 RBI in 107 at-bats against left-handed pitching.
Duvall also wasn’t too much of a liability in the field despite his age, registering a .987 fielding percentage with four outfield assists and a -3 DRS in 91 total games manning the outfield. With Duvall previously helping the Braves to a World Series championship in a similar role just a few years ago, perhaps he could do the same for the Phillies this time around.
Aaron Hicks
Another solid candidate that the Phillies can go after is switch-hitting veteran outfielder Aaron Hicks. Hicks is coming off a disastrous season in 2024 that saw him appear in only 18 games for the Los Angeles Angels before being designated for assignment.
In total, he compiled a dismal .140 batting average and .415 OPS, with just six runs scored, one home run, five RBI, six walks and 23 strikeouts in 57 at-bats. However, looking further back, Hicks is actually just one year removed from a solid campaign in 2023 in which he batted .253 with a .735 OPS, 44 runs scored, nine doubles, eight home runs and 36 RBI in 93 games split between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles.
As a switch-hitter, Hicks could provide the Phillies with greater flexibility in their lineup as he can be deployed accordingly based on matchups. More importantly, if Hicks were really to used in a platoon situation with Kepler to take advantage of left-handed pitching, then his respectable career .252 average and .756 OPS with 40 home runs and 133 RBI in 500 games against lefties would sure come in handy.
With the cost to sign Hicks likely at a minimum following his forgettable 2024 campaign, he could potentially be a low-risk, high-reward player who the Phillies could use to augment their roster for 2025.
Alex Verdugo
Finally, we have perhaps the biggest outfield name left in free agency, former Yankee Alex Verdugo. Verdugo has never been known to be a massive power hitter. After all, the most home runs he has ever hit in one season is 13, which he has accomplished three times in his career, including last season. Nevertheless, Verdugo has been a solid run-producing, hitting machine, having maintained a career batting average of over .270 in his eight seasons. On top of that, he has also averaged over 80 runs scored per season over a 162-game schedule pace.
Verdugo can definitely play solid defense in all three outfield positions, after posting an impressive .997 fielding percentage with 7 DRS in 149 games in the field with the Yankees in 2024. In fact, he even led all American League left fielders with a .996 fielding percentage in his main position last season.
As a left-handed hitter, though, unlike the previous two candidates, Verdugo might not give the Phillies a specific advantage when facing left-handed pitching. But the fact that he can still hold his own with a career .253 average against lefties suggests, he could potentially be an everyday playable option if the Kepler experiment fails. Although Verdugo is projected to make close to $15 million AAV per season on a four-year deal by Spotrac, the fact that his market has stalled for so long this offseason, the Phillies may now be able to obtain his services at a bargain price if they choose to pursue him.