When the Philadelphia Phillies signed veteran outfielder Max Kepler this offseason, it appeared that their outfield situation was taken care of for the upcoming 2025 MLB season. After all, with his ability to provide both solid offense and defense at the same time, that was exactly what the Phillies needed for their outfield.
However, if looking a little more carefully at the numbers, there’s one little caveat in that Kepler is more of a righties masher, with a career .243 average and .778 OPS while averaging one home run for almost every 21 at-bats. Whereas versus lefties, the difference is quite substantial, as he has compiled just a .221 average and .655 OPS while averaging one home run for almost every 36 at-bats.
As a result, it would make the most sense if the Phillies pursue one more free agent outfielder who can hit left-handed pitching effectively. Especially if Brandon Marsh is still in play as a starter for the Phillies for the upcoming season, as he has a similar weakness against southpaws as well.
Here's 1 more realistic free agent outfielder the Phillies can sign to hit lefties
In a recent article by MLB.com, they took a look at one realistic free agent target that would fit each team. In doing so, they have come up with the perfect candidate who could fill the lefty masher role mentioned above: Mark Canha.
The 10-year veteran played for the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants in 2024, where he posted a .242 average and .690 OPS, along with 46 runs scored, 20 doubles, seven home runs, 42 RBI and seven stolen bases in 125 games played. More importantly, Canha has a career .244 batting average and .763 OPS, along with 57 doubles, six triples, 48 home runs and 146 RBI in 1,160 at-bats against left-handed pitching.
As pointed out by MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, Canha could be deployed when the Phillies are matched up against tough lefties. He would also allow Philadelphia the flexibility to shift Kepler to center field while he takes over left field on days when Marsh needs a rest. On top of that, it shouldn’t cost Philadelphia too much to get it done, seeing that he is coming off a down season in which he was paid only $11.5 million in salary. Therefore, signing Canha could help round out the Phillies outfield by covering the remaining weakness that they still have as of this moment.