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The Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a significant roster upgrade just hours before the Major League Baseball trade deadline and it could mean that some harsh moves are next.
After negotiating a trade for elite closer Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins, the Phillies revisited the Twins’ list of players by agreeing to acquire outfielder Harrison Bader in exchange for outfield prospect Hendry Mendez and pitching prospect Geremy Villoria.
The Phillies were seen as likely to bring in a new outfielder as the combination of Max Kepler, Johan Rojas and Brandon Marsh has struggled offensively. Now, the team could be preparing to cut ties with Kepler, demote Rojas and bring up top prospect Justin Crawford.
“Have to believe this means that Crawford comes up for left, Bader and Marsh split time in center, Kepler gets DFA and Rojas goes to (Triple-A Lehigh Valley),” predicted Kevin Cooney of 97.5-FM.
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Bader has played for several different teams but has been enjoying a near career high .778 OPS with the Twins so far this season and is seen as a defensive stalwart. That combination of offense and defense gives the Phillies a lot of options in the outfield, particularly as they look to add Crawford to the mix. The team might alternatively slot Crawford in at center field while starting Marsh in left against right-handers and Bader in left against left-handers.
In any case, Kepler seems to be the odd man out after the addition of Bader. He signed a one-year deal with the Phillies this past winter and has a .655 OPS so far that is his worst mark since his rookie season.
While Rojas is a younger and more controllable option who could find his way back onto the Phillies big-league roster at some point, Kepler could be a lost cause in Philadelphia.
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