The Philadelphia Phillies have a glaring roster weakness, and so far this winter, they’ve left things as they were.
The Phillies’ outfield was their only position group that didn’t boast an All-Star in 2024, and they dragged the rest of the team down with them. Nick Castellanos had an okay year by his standards, and he stood out as the biggest success story from the group.
Johan Rojas hasn’t developed into the everyday starter the Phillies hoped he would be in center field, and that has thrown Philadelphia’s outfield plan out of whack. At times, they tried Brandon Marsh in center this past season, a position he isn’t well-equipped to play.
Rojas is still only 24, so there’s time for him to develop. But the Phillies might be looking t o free agency for another option at his position.
Harrison Bader, who recently finished a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the New York Mets, may be the only starting-caliber center fielder available. On Friday, Colin Cerniglia of Yardbarker predicted that Bader would sign with the Phillies this winter.
“Bader’s bat leaves much to be desired — he hit only .236 with the Mets last season — but his defensive brilliance makes him a hot commodity,” Cerniglia said.
“Prediction: The Philadelphia Phillies, with their eye on tightening up defensively, will bring in Bader to patrol center field.”
Bader, 30, had a .657 OPS in 143 games for New York last season, including 108 starts. He didn’t play a single defensive position besides center field, and racked up 10 outs above average, putting him in the 95th percentile of all defenders.
It doesn’t necessarily make sense to replace Rojas with an older, more expensive version of himself. The Phillies would be better served chasing a bigger bat in center like Luis Robert Jr.
However, Bader is at the point in his career where he doesn’t need a guaranteed starting spot to be productive. He could play any of the three outfield positions at any given time and suit the Phillies (or any contender) as a platoon fit/late-innings defensive replacement.
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