Philadelphia Phillies: 3 trades to upgrade Odubel Herrera’s roster spot
By Tim Boyle
The Philadelphia Phillies have had issues in center field for a while. Bringing Odubel Herrera back was never the right move to make.
With about a week left to make a change with a trade, the Phillies need to turn over every rock they can find to upgrade the position. They can go big, or they can go small. Either way, they need to do something.
While they could most certainly trade for a corner outfielder with some experience in center field, it’s probably better to find someone with defensive gifts at the position. There are, fortunately, a few guys that are decent enough fielders in center field and very likely available for the Phillies to acquire at a reasonable price.
1) Philadelphia Phillies trade candidate to upgrade center field: Michael A. Taylor
Nobody makes more sense for the Phillies to add at the trade deadline than Michael A. Taylor. The Kansas City Royals center fielder was a Gold Glove winner last season and is having himself a fine year at the plate.
Through 217 at-bats, Taylor is a .272/.347/.401 hitter. He doesn’t hit for much power but can play the position incredibly well. There might not be a single major league player on any roster that makes even more sense than Taylor ending up in Philadelphia.
There are some even better benefits to trading for him, too. Taylor is under contract next season, so we would have an answer at a position with more questions in recent years than anything else. He might not be the superstar splash fans want. However, he is reasonably priced, and someone, the Phillies, should pair with another bat and starting pitcher before the trade deadline passes.