When the Philadelphia Phillies traded highly-touted catcher Logan O’Hoppe straight up to the Los Angeles Angels for outfielder Brandon Marsh on Aug. 2, the price felt steep.
But while it’s entirely possible that O’Hoppe ends up being the better player of the two, the price that Dave Dombrowski paid to acquire a starting caliber center fielder under team control for the forseeable future looks downright affordable on Dec. 9.
Had the Phillies not acquired Marsh prior to the trade deadline, it’s unclear how they would have proceeded for the remainder of the 2022 season. Presumably, the plan wouldn’t have just been to continue hoping that the combination of Odúbel Herrera, Matt Vierling and Mickey Moniak was good enough to get by, but impact center fielders are few and far between.
To that end, the Phillies likely would have been at the forefront of the center fielder market in free agency this winter had they not traded for Marsh. And while the budget may feel close to unlimited, one would think that if the Phillies needed to make a major investment in center field this offseason, it may have affected their willingness to address other areas of need on the roster.
Brandon Nimmo — the top overall free agent center fielder on the market — is returning to the New York Mets after agreeing to an eight-year/$162 million deal Thursday.
Nimmo is an on-base machine that’s considered an excellent clubhouse presence for the Mets. But he’s entering his age-30 season and has played over 100 games in a season on just two occasions.
Meanwhile, former National League MVP Cody Bellinger was non-tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers last month. He’s won a Gold Glove Award in right field, but also has extended experience in center field and at first base. His positional flexibility and past offensive prowess is why the Chicago Cubs gave him a one-year/$17.5 million deal.
But there’s also a reason that the Dodgers non-tendered a player that once demonstrated Hall of Fame-caliber potential. Since winning the NL MVP in 2019, Bellinger has slashed just .203/.272/.376 with an underwhelming .648 OPS. Perhaps a change of scenery will help Bellinger to revive his career. But the version of Bellinger that we’ve seen the last three seasons is a player that’s inferior to what Marsh was after being traded to the Phillies.
Marsh isn’t even eligible for arbitration yet. He can’t become a free agent until after the 2027 season. He’s already the best defensive center fielder that the Phillies have had since trading Shane Victorino in July of 2012. After being traded to the Phillies, he slashed .288/.319/.455 in 41 games. With some more time to work with the recently extended Kevin Long, Marsh may very well turn into an above-average hitter at a position without many impact bats outside of Mike Trout, Byron Buxton, Cedric Mullins and Bryan Reynolds.
He’s not the player Nimmo is now, and perhaps he never will be. But considering Marsh is years away from free agency and only 24 years old, the decision to trade for him this past summer looks pretty good with the benefit of knowing how the free-agent market at the position has played out this offseason.
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