Philadelphia Phillies: 3 players who definitely won’t be back in 2021

Jay Bruce, OF/DH

One of the very few good things that Matt Klentak did during his tenure as general manager, the trade for Jay Bruce turned into a pleasant surprise. Acquired halfway through the 2019 season, Bruce came to Philly for essentially nothing. The Mets were paying for a majority of his salary, and Seattle didn’t ask for anything of value in return.

Operating primarily as a bench bat and a plug-and-play outfielder, Bruce recorded a .736 OPS across 83 games for the Phillies. He hit 18 home runs and drove in 45 runs, and proved to be decent enough defensively.

With the designated hitter making it’s appearance in the NL this past season, Bruce was valuable in that role as well.

With that said, the Phillies desperately need to undergo a bit of a youth movement moving forward, and Bruce is set to turn 34 in April. The Phils have both Adam Haseley and Mickey Moniak  looking for everyday reps in the outfield, and Andrew McCutchen is likely set to hang around for at least one more year as well.

Throw in the fact that the DH might not even stick in the National League next season, and that’s a mighty crowded outfield.

While Bruce is likely the more productive option at the moment, letting Moniak and Haseley get his reps instead would be the best longterm plan for the Phillies. With that in mind, it’s hard to imagine the veteran outfielder signing back up to remain in Philadelphia.