Roundtable: What outfielder will the Phillies trade for?

Could the Phillies trade for Lane Thomas? (Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire)

Improving in the outfield in some form appears to be a priority for the Philadelphia Phillies in advance of the July 30 trade deadline. Exactly what that will look like is less clear.

Ken Rosenthal — probably the most trustworthy national insider — poured cold water on the idea of Phillies president of baseball operations pushing all the chips to the center of the table for Luis Robert Jr., the talented but oft-injured Chicago White Sox center fielder.

Additionally, USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale has reported that Brent Rooker of the Oakland Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the Miami Marlins are unlikely targets for the Phillies.

So what do the Phillies need?

While it’s been an uneven season in many regards for right fielder Nick Castellanos, he’s in the third campaign of a five-year/$100 million deal, so he’s likely not going anywhere. But some sort of fourth starting outfielder — ideally a right-handed hitter capable of starting in left field when the Phillies are facing a left-handed pitcher or Brandon Marsh is in center field over Johan Rojas on a given day — would make a ton of sense.

We polled our staff on what outfielder the Phillies are most likely to acquire in advance of the July 30 trade deadline, and here’s what they said.

Tim Kelly, Editorial Director: Taylor Ward, Los Angeles Angels

There’s been some reporting that the Angels aren’t inclined to trade Ward, who has two remaining years of team control after 2024. However, the former first-round pick is 30 years old, and the Angels have no realistic path to competing over the next couple of seasons.

So the guess here is that for the right price, Ward — who has a .916 OPS against lefties this year — could be reunited with his former Halos teammate in Marsh. Exactly what that price is depends on whether he would be the only player coming back to the Phillies. If Dombrowski was able to swing a trade that netted the Phillies both Ward and All-Star reliever Carlos Estévez, that would be quite the haul. It may very well require giving up multiple top-10 prospects — not RHP Andrew Painter or infielder Aidan Miller — though. But good things aren’t cheap.

Destiny Lugardo, Deputy Editorial Director: Mark Canha, Detroit Tigers

If the Phillies are looking for an outfielder that won’t cost a ton as far as prospect capital goes to split playing time with Marsh in left field, Canha should be the target. The overall numbers, a .229 batting average with a .687 OPS in 350 plate appearances, aren’t fantastic, but he has crushed lefties this season to the tune of an .877 OPS. He’ll be useful in left in a potential short series with the Braves, where they will likely see lefties Chris Sale and Max Fried.

A former teammate of GM Sam Fuld, the Phillies should have a good idea of how he’ll fit into the clubhouse. He’s also playing on an $11.5 million club option, and the Phillies could take on the rest of the salary and send back a lesser prospect package to Detroit.

Ty Daubert, Staff Writer: Miguel Andujar, Oakland Athletics

The former Yankees top prospect and 2018 American League Rookie of the Year runner-up, Andujar is far from the player it once seemed he could be at the start of his career. However, he’s shown some ability to contribute in his first year in Oakland after getting a late start to the season due to a knee injury.

A left fielder these days, Andujar is batting .296/.320/.398 with three home runs and a 108 OPS+ in 46 games. A good chunk of that damage has been done against lefties, as he’s posted a 1.378 OPS in 30 plate appearances against left-handers. Andujar’s profile fits what the Phillies could look to prioritize this deadline; he’s a right-hander hitter, he likely won’t cost much to acquire and he’ll be able to help without altering the core pieces of this first-place team.

Nathan Ackerman, Staff Writer: Lane Thomas, Washington Nationals

Obviously, the extra year of control is the difference-maker here. I don’t believe the Phillies view their outfield situation as a problem exclusive to 2024. Thomas, with his .947 OPS this year (.891 career) against lefties, gives them insurance for Brandon Marsh vs. southpaws and Johan Rojas in general for 2025 as well.

The Nationals won’t contend next year, so trading Thomas now makes more sense than waiting (what are they going to do, pay him?), but it shouldn’t cost Aidan Miller or Andrew Painter, even within the division. The bigger fish like Brent Rooker and Luis Robert Jr. may, but the fit and durability, respectively, don’t justify such a move. Thomas is the best of all worlds.

Bailey Digh, Staff Writer: Mark Canha, Detroit Tigers

A 35-year-old, Canha makes a lot of sense for the Phillies. He’s a right-handed hitter who has continued hitting left-handed pitching this year. On top of his .877 OPS over his first 81 plate appearances against lefties this season, Canha has hit .246/.349/.423 against southpaws dating back to the start of 2021.

Playing mostly first base for the Tigers since the start of June, Canha started the year playing corner outfield for Detroit. He also has a lengthy history of playing left field throughout his career with passable defense.

Overall, Canha would not only pair well in a left-field platoon with Brandon Marsh, but he would complement the rest of the Phillies’ lineup with his approach. Canha is a patient hitter who draws walks at an above-average rate while also laying off pitches outside the strike zone at an above-average rate.