Philadelphia Phillies: 3 best trade candidates to target for center field

2. Philadelphia Phillies trade candidate: Andrew Benintendi.

Another guy playing on a bad team in the Midwest yet having a good year is Andrew Benintendi. A free agent once the season concludes, he is enjoying his second straight successful season as a member of the Kansas City Royals.

Benintendi broke into the majors back in 2016 with the Boston Red Sox where he put up solid numbers over the course of several seasons. A fine mix of power, a good batting average, and OBP numbers, he’s more typical of a number two or six-hitter in a lineup.

What makes him less than an ideal fit is that he is also more of a left fielder than center fielder. He has actually not played center field since 2019 so trading for him and moving him into center field could just create more chaos in the Phillies outfield. They’re already going to battle with Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber at the corners regularly whenever Bryce Harper does play.

Last year, Benintendi did win a Gold Glove as a left fielder. A move to center field likely wouldn’t yield those same results. Given the lack of options within or outside of the organization, why not go for broke and pile on another guy playing out of position? If he can hit and supply them with good defense at one of the corner spots—maybe moving him into left field late and using someone else as a defensive replacement in center field.