With the recent signing of Max Kepler, the Philadelphia Phillies appear to have addressed their outfield situation for the 2025 season, to some extent. There’s no doubt that Kepler should be an offensive upgrade over either Johan Rojas or Brandon Marsh, while not sacrificing much in terms of defense. But is that enough to put the Phillies over the top?
One MLB insider would still like to see the Phillies make a big trade for another star outfielder, with former MLB general manager Jim Bowden of The Athletic calling for a trade for Luis Robert Jr. (subscription required) of the Chicago White Sox.
Bowden isn’t convinced that Kepler should be an everyday player for Philadelphia because of his weak OPS against lefties (.655), which is more fit for a platoon. In addition, he has never actually played left field in the majors, a position that the Phillies plan to use him in day in and day out going forward.
Trading for Luis Robert Jr. would give the Phillies a difference-making fix in the outfield
Beyond that, even if the Phillies went with an outfield that included both Kepler and Nick Castellanos, it still leaves the offensively challenged Marsh and Rojas covering the remaining spot. By adding a player with an offensive pedigree like Robert, that weakness would no longer exist.
After all, Robert is one of the league’s up-and-coming bright stars at just the young age of 27. With the ability to put up 90+ runs scored, 30+ home runs, 80+ RBI, and 20+ stolen bases while batting close to .270 each season, he would provide a massive boost to the offensive production of the Phillies outfield. In fact, Robert could end up putting up numbers that even Kepler and Castellanos can’t match. With a Gold Glove Award under his belt, the Phillies wouldn’t be losing too much in terms of defense, either.
Some may point out his worrisome decline in production last season. Plagued with injury issues to his hip right at the start of the season that ended up putting him out of action for almost two months, that no doubt affected Robert's overall effectiveness for the rest of the season. Also, with the White Sox way out of contention even before halfway through the season, it could be hard to get someone who wants to win as badly as Robert to be motivated to play at his best. But now at full health and if given the opportunity to play for a perennial contender like the Phillies, he should be able to regain his All-Star form in short order.
The Phillies have already made a big splash in the huge trade for Jesús Luzardo. They should now officially complete their retooling this offseason by acquiring one more true difference-maker in Robert.