Phillies 2026 News and Discussion

[EDmuch]

I am still waiting for suggestions of an alternative to Trout when it comes to a RH power bat.

[zambonir]

And I haven't heard that Trout is an option. Only slightly more than Aaron Judge is for now.

Nobody's going to be as good as Trout currently, or as good as 28 year-old Mike Trout was. But that doesn't mean there aren't going be other options. Or that it absolutely has to be a power bat. That's not what they tried to sign in the off-season (Bichette) and it's not what they did last year (Bader, whom, if he'd stayed hot and healthy might have been the marginal difference).

We're two months away from the trade market really starting, so we'll see where the Phillies are and what they need and why (I.e. to simply make the playoffs or to do some damage in them) then.

[phillychuck]

We could probably get Bader back for a song in trade now...I believe he’s hitting under .150 for SF. Maybe they’d pay us to take him.

[LegoDoom]

Yup. Due diligence more than anything. If his bat that's good you figure it out, plus the LHBs Marsh and Stott will both be one year from FA. But doesn't solve the overall line-up mix problem.

Not saying he's a bad idea, but he doesn't fix the RH problem. I'm a little concerned about his career arc, but that's for another conversation.

[zambonir]

Phillies deserve some credit for not meeting his ask, that's for sure. His disappointing replacement is still better, and not signed for a second year (and Bader's ask from the Phillies was probably higher than what SF ultimately gave him, Phillies probably would have done that deal).

And Robert Jr. has not bounced back (or gotten healthy) for the Mets.

Jo Adell is probably available but he's not looking like any kind of answer right now either. With the Angels you just never know what they're doing, or if things will get bad enough to make Trout want out. If he hasn't bailed by now, who knows. The only thing you can say about them is the next GM will probably be better than this one, but ownership is where Trout's loyalty lies, and it's terrible.

Bo Bichette should also be available

[andyb]

Bohm does have an 813 OPS in May. Garcia is in a huge slump so that is a current problem, but it is possible he'll recover to something in the 700-750 OPS range as Turner gets hotter. It won't be a great lineup against left-handed pitching but not the worst either.

Sometimes doing nothing is best. Trout really is not a good bet to play the field for the rest of his contract. Kemp or Rojas could also add something in the second half. The best trade is still probably one at the deadline for an expiring contract for a player that is playing well (like the Bader deal last year). The farm system is just so weak at the moment that the best long term bet is to rely on starting pitching and Schwarber and Harper to win a bunch of 3-2 games in the postseason.

[phillychuck]

Oh for the days of functional short-sided platoon bats like Pete Incaviglia and Wes Chamberlain...are there any equivalents to those guys today?

[andyb]

Oh for the days of functional short-sided platoon bats like Pete Incaviglia and Wes Chamberlain...are there any equivalents to those guys today?

That is what Kemp could be. And as a bonus play defense like Incaviglia and Chamberlain too.

[zambonir]

Austin Hays was what the Phillies wanted from him for the Reds last year, though he still faced RHP a lot (and is awful this year). There just aren't that many RHBs who embrace the reduced playing time, it seems, and the teams go along with it (you could say that about Bohm for most of his career, just as much as you could about Casty. Bader pretty much was in that role until he broke out last year).

The Phillies '93 platoon was pretty unusual, and even there Inky had 40 starts against a RHP, 46 LHP. Wes was 30/43.

[EDmuch]

Ok. So all agree that there is currently no other RH power bat compared to Trout (understanding that Trout himself may not be available).

[zambonir]

Mickey Moniak (oh damn, another lefty).

Buxton might be available finally. Of course he and Trout could both be hurt by July too.

There's just no way to know who is available until the playoff picture is more clear. The Angels are only one game further away from a WC than the Phillies right now, and are known for fooling themselves. Twins are just as close as Phillies. We could just as easily be talking about who the Phillies should be selling off at the deadline as who they should be buying, even if our expectations and emotions say they're back.

The overall problem is the kind of bat the Phillies want is generally someone who either wasn't ever a good fielder or no longer is, and they have too many of those. 3B is still the ideal place to upgrade the offense (which sticking with Garcia's solid D in RF). With the roster the Phillies have and the payroll the Phillies have, hoping for Turner and Bohm to come around is still Plan A for the next 50 games.

[phillychuck]

So what we are looking for is a late-career RHB who has lost part of his role vs RHP because of age-related decline (maybe also defensive decline). Trout is the Cadillac-level of that description. Boston has used Rob Refsnyder in that role and he’s been effective. Randall Grichuk, who was always one of my favorite trade targets, is still good vs LHP. Lane Thomas and Austin Hays fit that role, although Hays is having a bad year.

[zambonir]

Phils were supposedly on Grichuk even after Garcia but didn't do it. He only got a minor league deal with the Yankees and got DFAed. Presumably White Sox will trade him.

But, to Ed's point - the hole in the offense is an everyday, RH power hitter, which Hoskins, JT to some extent and Casty when he was going good each provided at different times. Bohm did not (even when he was at his most potent the power never quite came) and Garcia has not (and Turner, who technically replaced Hoskins on the payroll, also did not). 3B and RF are the two positions where such a player would go, rather than being in a platoon with Marsh or Crawford. As a marginal upgrade, sure.

[zambonir]

One interesting note here, the Phillies are not in Japan solely to see Sato. But also, he plays both 3B and RF, the two open positions on paper next year.

Eight thoughts on the resurgent Phillies, starting with Zack Wheeler and Kyle...

A group of Phillies officials, including assistant general manager Jorge Velandia, international scouting director Derrick Chung, assistant coordinator of international scouting Tora Otsuka, and several scouts, have upped the club’s focus on the Pacific Rim. The Phillies, league sources said, are still finalizing a seven-figure deal with Chan-min Park, a 17-year-old righty from South Korea.

[allentown]

I am still waiting for suggestions of an alternative to Trout when it comes to a RH power bat.

I'll be totally honest -- I am in no hurry to add a right=handed power bat. Since firing the manager, the Phillies have gone on a very nice run -- they've done that without adding a right-handed power bat. I'm not saying that there are not imaginable trade details that might make a Trout trade reasonable. I don't think the Angels would make a trade of that sort. They will want value back and they will want us to take on a big part of Trout's salary. Like trading for Pence, whom we dumped the next season, adding Trout is no guarantee. It may upset the team balance. He may be injured. His performance next season is anyone's guess. The forward prognosis isn't bright, but the $ and roster spot will be a fixed -- for years. It makes us older and it will reduce our limited stock of players in the minors with an actual chance to be productive major leaguers, and that isn't a long list. His addition makes us even more of an old team. In both the last golden age and this one, there is a reason that the team's post-season success took almost a straight line down, after the WS team, despite adding a lot of veteran talent and salary. I think one reason is older players who can still do well against lesser teams but have holes that good playoff teams can exploit. If the team decides closer to the trade deadline that they are one obvious piece away, with an obvious solution available in trade, then TPTB can decide on the virtue of a proposed trade, looking at both the present and the future. There are no bargains to be had today. Too many teams still have hope. Writers are going to keep proposing trades the Phillies just need to do. I am reading about a ton of 'must' Eagles trades as well, before the active pre-season even starts. It is just too early. Btw, I think one experiment the Phillies need to conduct is playing Marsh regularly against all pitching and see how he adapts over a month or two. He is certainly one of our top 3 players.

[zambonir]

Btw, I think one experiment the Phillies need to conduct is playing Marsh regularly against all pitching and see how he adapts over a month or two. He is certainly one of our top 3 players.

I think that experiment has already begun, and will continue. 12 of his 40 starts are against LHP. That's only one fewer than Sosa. It will likely continue to cost Crawford starts though, so they can get a RHB into LF on those days (and then Rojas will presumably get those).

[Callison]

Marsh splits not too bad.

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB HBP SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
32 3 8 0 1 0 5 1 1 12 0 0 .250 .286 .313 .598
126 22 44 9 0 4 17 6 0 21 3 0 .349 .373 .516 .889

Maybe not a bad idea to let him face lefties, but he does look lost against them now and then, too. Maybe he'll get better. At important ABs, not the best choice.

Crawford isn't allowed out of #9. IMHO, says to him we don't think you can do much. I'd like to see what he can do leading off and facing lefties. Could easily be as good as Marsh. Would force an improved lineup and add speed at the top of the order. (Was surprised to read recently that Turner is faster than Crawford.) Crawford gets some walks, too.

Huge game yesterday - the Phils at their best against Pgh and maybe their best game this season against All World Skenes.

[zambonir]

At important ABs, not the best choice.

Well, he's the best choice as the Phillies' roster is currently constituted.

[allentown]

I'd like to see what he can do leading off and facing lefties. Could easily be as good as Marsh.

I'd also like to see the Phillies try him at leadoff. He's had time to get his feet on the ground. He's had 22 PA against LHP and only put up a ,234 OPS. Overall, he's held his own with an OPS+ of 102. As good as Marsh? I don't think so. Marsh has an OPS+ of 128. He hasn't been given many more PA against LHP than Crawford, only 35, but he has an OPS of .598 against LHP. OOverall, Marsh has +1.5 rWAR and Crawford exactly 0.0 rWAR. I hope, and almost expect, that the day will come before too terribly long that Crawford is a better player than Marsh, but that day is not today. Btw, one of the Phillies main platoon guys against LHP, Sosa, has an OPS of .600, almost identical to Marsh. The guy who should be getting more AB against LHP is Marsh, not Crawford.

[zambonir]

But that's an outlier for Sosa. .895 against LHP last year. .784 career. The base platoon advantage still outweighs most things anyway. Even for Kemp or last year's version of Wilson.

It took Brandon Marsh almost five years to get as good as he is right now. You can argue that he wasn't allowed to see LHP enough to improve or you can argue that the pace was exactly right and has finally started to click for him (at this generally heightened offensive level). Crawford's time will come.

And Stott seems to be coming around too, as he had in the second half of last year.