The Phillies need to invest in a corner outfielder
All season, the Phillies had a problem with the outfield. While their initial fixes included the offseason signing of Whit Merrifield and a leap in development from Johan Rojas, most know how that panned out.
This led to the starting left fielder in a must-win game in October being 29-year-old rookie Weston Wilson, who had less than 100 MLB plate appearances. Coming off last year, when the season ended on a Jake Cave pop-out, it's tough to swallow.
With Brandon Marsh leaning more and more toward the mold of a platoon player, the Phillies need an outfielder who can pummel lefties.
In essence, seven of the nine hitting positions are locked in for next season, barring any crazy deals or happenings, three being left-handers. If Marsh is to be the center fielder, that adds another, leaving the lineup against right-handed pitching in good shape.
If Stott still needs to be platooned, like he was down the stretch and into the postseason, along with Marsh, the Phillies lineup against left-handed pitching would include Edmundo Sosa and the combination of two of either Rojas, Wilson, or Austin Hays — nowhere near as solid.
There are not many internal options that the Phillies can trust to have good at-bats at the bottom of the lineup. They are young, unreliable, and inconsistent. They need to look outward at some pending free agents to help fill the big void in the outfield.
The 2024 MLBPA's Comeback Player of the Year Tyler O'Neill is a free agent and could fit nicely into left field. His 1.180 OPS against left-handed pitching, as well as being in the 65th percentile for chase rate, adds another notch on the pole for opposing starters to get through. His market is projected to be $16 million AAV per Spotrac.
Other options in free agency could include Anthony Santander, formerly of the Baltimore Orioles and coming fresh off a 44-homer season, or Jurickson Profar, who had a career resurgence in San Diego with the Padres. The subpar defense and likely bigger market for Santander could deter the Phillies, but contracts coming off the books in upcoming years could allow Dombrowski and Middleton to reach a little deeper into their pockets.