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

3. Philadelphia Phillies trade candidate: Enrique Hernandez.

Enrique Hernandez makes a lot of sense for the Phillies. One of baseball’s most popular utility men, he is the starting center fielder for the struggling Boston Red Sox this year. He, too, has struggled early on. If the Red Sox can’t pull themselves out of the funk they started in, he would be someone for the Phillies to rent for a few months.

Hernandez is actually a good defensive center fielder which could make him a nice pairing with one of the other guys on this list. Hernandez doesn’t have to start for the Phillies. In fact, if he doesn’t start hitting, he shouldn’t be a candidate to start anywhere.

Something the Phillies will need to keep in mind as the trade deadline approaches is exactly what’s missing with this team. If the lineup is performed like the powerhouse it was built to be, upgrading at a position with a superior defender might be able to win them games in a different way. There’s nothing against the rules to say you can’t potentially pinch-hit for someone like Hernandez late then move someone like a healthy Moniak or even Herrera into center field to finish off the game.

There are no perfect center field trade candidates out there for the Phillies because of how coveted players at the position are. With Hernandez, they give up a little bit on offense. On defense, they get a lot better.