The Philadelphia Phillies offense has one clear issue, low synergy in their outfield. Adding another player could give them plenty of options in the postseason.
As Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly searched for one move for each team to fix their biggest need, a familiar name came up in conversations.
The Phillies have been connected to Lane Thomas for weeks and it makes more sense than ever now.
The Washington Nationals outfielder hasn’t had a stellar season overall, but has had a good year in terms of dominating left-handed pitching. As two of the current Phillies outfielders are almost unplayable against southpaws, adding another righty slugger should be a massive priority.
Philadelphia outfielders are currently slashing .237/.296/.369 against left-handed pitching.
The Phillies did acquire Austin Hays in a surprising move on Friday, but that isn’t exactly the blockbuster type of deal that many were expecting the front office to pull off.
Maybe they aren’t done eyeing more hitting options, so if that’s the case, then they could look at the super fast and strong-armed Thomas.
With his speed, he also adds an extra base running edge to the team. Philadelphia is already tied for the fourth-most steals this season, so bringing in Thomas who has 26 on the year would add to their threat on the basepaths.
Brandon Marsh has a good reputation and has done well against righties. Another right-handed option would help the fact he’s struggled at the plate against lefties, slashing just .140/.211/.160 this season.
Johan Rojas is a right-handed batter who doesn’t do well against lefties either, but it hasn’t been as noticeable because he hasn’t been that great against either side’s pitching.
Nick Castellanos has woken up at the plate for the past month, giving them someone who can play every day.
Bringing Thomas into the fold would allow them to play around more with Marsh and Rojas, given that they both can play center field. A rotation of those three could be the perfect situation if each player is OK with a non-every day role, especially with Hays in the mix as well.
Thomas has a .329/.414/.518 line against left-handed pitching this season with a .213/.274/.247 line against the other pitchers.
The 28-year-old also under team control through the end of the 2025 season, giving them a solid outfield for back-to-back years.
Source link : https://www.si.com/mlb/phillies/news/philadelphia-phillies-urged-to-make-one-move-fix-their-outfield
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Publish date : 2024-07-27 09:00:00
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