3 offseason moves the Phillies will regret not making this season

Phillies will regret not signing more outfield depth

Brandon Marsh represents the Phillies' best option in the outfield currently. He has been productive both offensively and defensively despite being third on the club with 14 strikeouts in 11 games.

Johan Rojas has shown promise defensively but needs to become more consistent as a hitter. He had his best game offensively this season to date on April 8, going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, but he is still slashing .161/.235/.194 in 11 contests.

Nick Castellanos is not off to a good start, hitting .160 with a .410 OPS through 14 games. After getting a hit in each of the first three contests of the season, the 32-year-old has since gone 5-for-40. He doesn't defend as well in the outfield as Marsh or Rojas, either.

The signing of Merrifield could still be a solid move this season despite his bad start at the plate. He was one of the Phillies' best hitters in spring training and made the All-Star game last year with the Toronto Blue Jays. Is it just a slow start he will work through? Is playing in a bench role with a new team affecting him after being a starter for so many years?

The utility player has collected a hit in three of the eight games he has appeared in, with an underwhelming slash line of .120/.185/.120 is underwhelming. Hopefully, he will begin to turn it around and resemble the offensive player he was last year for Toronto.

Free agent Tommy Pham would have been a decent upgrade for the Phillies to consider in addition to signing Merrifield. The 36-year-old outfielder did well for the Arizona Diamondbacks during their postseason run to the World Series last year. He finished with a .279/.297/.475 line with an OPS of .772.

The Las Vegas, Nevada native finished with 10 runs scored, three doubles, three home runs, and four RBI during last year's playoffs. If the Phillies encounter any injuries to their outfielders, they should consider adding Pham if he's still available.

Signing Cody Bellinger may have been an interesting move, considering he signed a three-year, $80 million deal to return to the Chicago Cubs. He had a resurgence in 2023, hitting .307 with an .881 OPS.

However, the Phillies would have likely needed to decide what to do with one of their outfielders, particularly Rojas, considering Bellinger has played mostly at center field recently. The Scottsdale, AZ native has not played in right field since 2021 and the last time he played in left was during the 2018 regular season.

Signing Bellinger would have contradicted what Dombrowski said about the organization on Feb. 7 as a guest on the SportsRadio 94 WIP Morning Show, saying he preferred to give the young Rojas a chance to blossom at the major league level.

While Bellinger may not have fit with the Phillies, considering the other outfielders on the roster, the club could still benefit from adding another experienced veteran, such as Pham, to the position group during the season.