Section 215
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Philadelphia Phillies: 3 free agent bench bats worth adding to the roster

By David Esser

Sep 8, 2020; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Brock Holt (27) reacts after hitting a double against the Tampa Bay Rays during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 8, 2020; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Brock Holt (27) reacts after hitting a double against the Tampa Bay Rays during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia Phillies need to bolster their bench.

While a lot of talk has been made of re-signing J.T. Realmuto, or filling the vacant hole at shortstop, the Philadelphia Phillies still have a pretty weak bench all things considered. Jay Bruce is currently a free agent, and is unlikely to return, and the Phils have never had much in terms of infield depth in recent years.

With that in mind, there’s still a handful of bench players that Dave Dombrowski and co. could look to bring in on the cheap for the 2021 season.

Three names stuck out to me in particular:

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Brock Holt, INF

Despite coming off a pretty disastrous 2020 season (.211 batting average) playing for both the Nationals and the Brewers, utility infielder Brock Holt ticks off all the boxes in terms of what the Philadelphia Phillies need on their bench.

For starters, Holt is hyper versatile. He can play every position in the infield…and every position in the outfield. When assessing what makes a valuable backup bench player, Brock fits the bill.

When it comes to the Philadelphia Phillies specicifially, he’d be extremely valuable as a middle infielder. The Phils are looking a tad shaky with Kingery and Segura as their current projected starters, and could definitely use a veteran presence behind them.

The obvious connection to Philadelphia for Holt is of course that of Dombrowski. The former Boston executive was in charge during Holt’s best years between 2015 and 2019, even seeing the infielder crack an All-Star game in 2015. That previous relationship that the two share could see Holt prioritize signing with the Phillies over another team.

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