The Phillies need two things at the deadline, a closer and an outfielder (maybe 2). I covered closers yesterday, so now let’s get into the outfielders broken into 2 groups: the everyday OFs and the righties. The Phillies outfield might be the worst hitting group in baseball. Max Kepler has been a bust and Brandon Marsh has been serviceable at best. Otto Kemp is a right handed specialist if you squint, but his defense is bad. Johan Rojas doesn’t show any particular hitting skill regardless of who he faces. Nick Castellanos has at least been consistently average all season but might be the worst outfielder in baseball. Let’s see what we can do.
Everyday Players
- Steven Kwan – OF – Guardians: Kwan is a little overrated as a hitter due to his high walk and low strikeout rate. His average isn’t as high as you think it is (.285) and he doesn’t hit lefties very well. Still, that high contact approach would fit in nicely to this lineup. Kwan still has 2 years of control left and will likely cost way more than we should pay for his play.
Taylor Ward– OF – Angels: We all watched the Angels series last week right? The one where Ward kept homering against us? The worst part might have been that the Angels actually gained ground in the standings while playing us. Well, then the Mets crushed them and basically ended their hopes of the postseason. That leaves Ward as probably the best most realistic everyday outfielder available. He has 1 more year of arbitration left so he is not a rental at $7.8m this season. His average is low and he strikes out too much, but he crushes lefties and has 24 HRs. That would be a much needed jolt to this offense.Jo Adell– OF – Angels: Ward’s running mate is having a similar season. Low batting average, 21 HRs, kills lefties, strikes out a ton. He has 2 years of control left and only a $2m salary for this season.- Willi Castro – OF – Twins: He is a utility player who isn’t very good with the glove, but plays basically every position. He is making $6.4m this season, his last under contract. As a switch hitter, he has a solid .765 OPS overall but hits a little better against lefties.
- Ramon Laureano – OF – Orioles: Full disclosure, I do not like Ramon Laureano since he was busted for PEDs a few years ago. I just don’t trust that his breakout this year is real at all. He has an .852 OPS out of nowhere at 31 years old. Despite being a righty, he has reverse splits this season at the plate which is not in keeping with his career performance. I’m dubious. He only costs $4m this season with a $6.5m club option for next year.
Specialists
- Luis Robert – CF – White Sox: I did a deep dive on Robert last week hoping everyone would be open minded to one of the worst hitters in baseball. He is fantastic against lefties though, plain and simple. His OPS against lefties ranks 10th among all outfielders in baseball. Plus, he plays great defense. Worst case scenario is that he ends up in Queens facing our lefties in the playoffs.
- Lourdes Gurriel – OF – Diamondbacks: He is just solid but unspectacular regular at this point, but he is very solid against lefties sporting a high average with a good K:BB ratio but little power. The problem is his 2026 player option for $13m which might be a bit high for the Phillies.
- Austin Slater – OF – White Sox: Who? Well shockingly, Slater is one of the best righty specialist in baseball thanks to his 5 HRs and .321 batting average. He is only making $1.75m this season and isn’t the worst fielder in the world. He would not cost very much.
- Dane Myers – CF – Marlins: I don’t think the Marlins would entertain a trade for him considering he is still considered a rookie with 5 years of control remaining. Plus, all he can really do is play center and hit lefties. Myers is also 29 thanks to going to college, being a converted pitcher, and losing the 2020 season to Covid. He’s hitting .320 against lefties though. That will play.
- Alex Call – OF – Nationals: Call is 30 but like Myers has a ton of control left (4 years). He isn’t a black hole against righties, but has a .328 avg with an .836 OPS against lefties. The Nationals might not want to deal him though.
- Miguel Andujar – OF/3B – Athletics: Andujar has a career .800-ish OPS against lefties but is killing them in limited at bats this season (hitting over .400). He is only making $3m this season and although he may be a bad defender, he is still better than Kyle Schwarber and Otto Kemp in left.
Wild Card
- Bryce Harper: I don’t think there is much of a chance the Phillies move Bryce Harper to the outfield, but if they did it would solve a lot of problems. Because of Alec Bohm’s versatility to play either 1st or 3rd, the Phillies could cast a wider net on their search for a strong bat if Harper becomes their guy in left. The Phillies have been connected to Eugenio Suarez this week and the Rays have put Yandy Diaz on the trade block. While it would be awesome to add either to the lineup, it would mean a ton of changes. The Phillies won’t move Harper for just anyone, but I think he knows what it would mean for the team to bring in a difference maker. For anyone thinking Schwarber is an option, the answer is no.
All statistics thanks to Baseball Reference
Philly Front Office 
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