The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the most complete rosters in baseball, though if there is one obvious hole, it’s in the outfield where significant regression from Johan Rojas has created a question mark in center field.
The team is currently using a combination of David Dahl, Cristian Pache and Whit Merrifield alongside Brandon Marsh and Nick Castellanos in the outfield, so finding a short- and long-term upgrade who can handle center field could be the final piece of the puzzle.
Ahead we’ve highlighted three potential options, with one who is signed to a long-term deal, one still under club control for multiple years and one representing a low-cost rental.
The New York Mets signed Harrison Bader to a one-year, $10.5 million deal during the offseason, and while the Mets continue to hover around the .500 mark, he is an obvious trade candidate if they do land on the side of seller.
The 30-year-old is a former Gold Glove winner in center field, and he is also putting up strong offensive numbers, hitting .272/.319/.404 for a 110 OPS+ with 18 extra-base hits, 11 steals and 1.5 WAR in 68 games.
He would not be as flashy of an addition as the next two guys on this list, but he likely won’t cost more than a mid-level prospect or two and would still be a solid upgrade over the current in-house options.