Phillies: 2 offseason targets not planning to re-sign with their current teams

Starling Marte, CF

A player that a lot of fans wanted the team to target at last year’s trade deadline, veteran center fielder Starling Marte also appears likely to hit the open market this winter. Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng told reporters herself that there’s been no talks with Marte regarding an extension, despite Marte saying he wants to finish his career in south Florida.

Marte is batting .289 with an .840 OPS since joining the Marlins back in 2020, and has always been good for some average to above average defense out in CF. While the Phillies have gotten some surprisingly productive games out of Odubel Herrera this season, the need for a more established player in center is still something that Dombrowski is likely to pursue this winter.

He kicked the tires on Jackie Bradley Jr. a bit this past offseason, and even explored trading for Andrew Benintendi. With the Phillies having club options on both McCutchen and Herrera for the 2022 season, the likelihood that we see a complete overhaul in the outfield is rather high.

Snagging Marte on a 1-2 year deal would solidify the Phillies CF position, while also giving them another high-contact bat to place in front of Bryce Harper in the lineup. Marte is a career .288 hitter with 255 career steals – the exact type of guy you’d want in front of Bryce next season.