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.
2) Philadelphia Phillies trade candidate to upgrade center field: Ian Happ
We just got to see Ian Happ come to town with the Chicago Cubs this weekend as they swept the Phillies away. Happ is much less of a center fielder. However, he has played the position this year and does have experience there throughout his career. He’d cost a lot more than Taylor and is under control through next season as well.
Happ’s numbers now include a .279/.366/.441 slash line after helping to defeat the Phillies on Sunday. He was an All-Star this season, and someone, the Philadelphia Phillies, could use in a variety of ways.
What makes Happ such an awesome trade candidate for them and everyone else is his ability to play all over the field. He has accomplished exactly what the team had hoped Scott Kingery would have developed into. He could be the Ben Zobrist for this year’s Phillies team.
Needless to say, the number of suitors for him will be vast. Guys who can hit as well as this switch-hitter and become the defensive answer just about anywhere are incredibly desirable. Because the Phillies don’t need a whole lot of offense added to the roster, Happ would be the biggest bat they possibly add.
The downside is that he is more of a left fielder than anything else. Do they double down and put another weak fielder out there? Considering the way Herrera and everyone else fields, it wouldn’t be that much of a difference anyway.
3) Philadelphia Phillies trade candidate to upgrade center field: Ramón Laureano
Ramón Laureano of the Oakland Athletics might be best known for his PED suspension, but that shouldn’t stop the Phillies from going after him. If we’re going to talk about morality, they don’t have room to talk.
Through his first 244 at-bats this season, Laureano has hit .230/.311/.406. The numbers don’t pop, but he does have 10 home runs already and has been very good in the past as well. Although better suited in right field, where he has played most of this season for Oakland, Laureano has seen more action in center field than anywhere else since his 2018 big league debut.
Metrics suggest a corner spot is better. The Phillies might ignore this as they have for just about every position on the field. This is a team of DHs, after all.
Laureano isn’t having a particularly good season but might be a rebound candidate for the Philadelphia Phillies. He won’t hit free agency until after the 2024 campaign. A trade candidate other clubs could look at for depth, Philadelphia might end up tempted to overpay as they have a much greater need for a starting center fielder than a guy for the bench.
Among these three choices, the best is Taylor. He’d cost less than Happ, and the Phillies would have enough resources to go out and fix another need: the rotation.