The Philadelphia Phillies enter Memorial Day with the best record in Major League Baseball at 34-19, but that doesn’t mean they should stop looking for ways to improve.
The Phillies are among the top contenders in the sport, but every strong unit has a weak link somewhere, and for Philadelphia, that’s the outfield.
As a whole, the Phillies have a combined -1.5 Wins Above Replacement from their outfielders, which ranks 23rd in all of baseball.
While they could scour the trade market for a productive outfielder, the best way to upgrade that position is in their own clubhouse.
Bryce Harper has transitioned seamlessly to first base since switching to the position in 2023, but he spent over a decade playing in the outfield and isn’t opposed to swapping gloves again.
Prior to the 2025 season, Harper revealed in an interview with The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal that he is willing to return to the outfield if the Phillies bring in another high-quality first baseman.
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“I love playing first base. It’s been great. But if it’s going to help us win, I’d go back out there [to the outfield].”
Harper would bring new life to the outfield, but the Phillies would be left scrambling to find a new first baseman.
That’s where Rhys Hoskins comes into play.
The former Phillie has been tearing it up with the Milwaukee Brewers this season. Hoskins ranks in the top five among first basemen in batting average (.288), on-base percentage (.390), slugging percentage (.472), and OPS (.862).
Hoskins will likely be a free agent after this season. He has a mutual option for 2026, but those are rarely picked up. Rather than potentially losing him for nothing, it would behoove the Brewers to trade Hoskins so they could get some assets in return.
The Brewers are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline. They are 26-28 and 6.5 games back in the NL Central. If the Brewers decide to look toward the future, Hoskins would be a prime candidate to get moved.
With a team full of veterans in their prime, the time is now for the Phillies to go all in on winning the World Series. Bringing in Hoskins to play first base and moving Harper back into the outfield is the type of move that could get them over the hump.
Hoskins was instrumental in helping the Phillies reach the Fall Classic in 2022, and he could be the key to Philadelphia not only returning in 2025 but winning it all this time.
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