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Phillies Likely to Make Outfield Changes This Offseason

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The Philadelphia Phillies are likely to make changes to their outfield this offseason. The current configuration of Brandon Marsh or Austin Hays in left field with Johan Rojas in center field and Nick Castellanos in right field will look different in 2025. Marsh, Hays, and Rojas might all be on different teams next year. According to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, the Phillies are expected to make adjustments in the outfield this offseason. This is an area where the team has been trying to upgrade for some time. Hays was brought in at the trade deadline for this very reason, but that deal has not yet worked out for the Phillies. Hays spent most of his time on the injured list after joining the team.

Phillies Likely to Make Outfield Changes This Offseason

Left Field

Left field is the main outfield position where the Phillies will look to upgrade. Phillies left fielders had a .710 OPS and a 98 wRC+ in 2024. Matt Gelb of The Athletic believes that Hays will be non-tendered this offseason. In 22 games with the Phillies in 2024, he had a .256/.275/.397 line with two home runs and six RBI. Additionally, he had a . 85 wRC+ and a .316 BABIP in that span. Hays’s strikeout rate increased from 22.9% in 63 games with the Baltimore Orioles to 23.8% with the Phillies, while his walk rate went from 5.1% with the Orioles to 0.0% with the Phillies. Meanwhile, Marsh saw his strikeout rate increase from 30.5% in 2023 to 32.4% in 2024. His walk rate decreased from 12.5% in 2023 to 10.5% in 2024.

Of the available free agent outfielders, New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto would be the best fit. Soto is probably going to end up re-signing with the Yankees though. Regardless, the Phillies should make an effort to sign Soto. Outside of him, the top candidates for the Phillies are San Diego Padres utility player Jurickson Profar and Boston Red Sox outfielder Tyler O’Neill. Profar ranked in the 85th percentile or better in chase rate, whiff rate, strikeout rate, and walk rate this past season, according to Baseball Savant. Adding Profar to the lineup would help the Phillies with their plate discipline issues, as he had the second-best OBP among qualified NL batters in 2024. O’Neill ranked worse in those categories but has better defensive ratings than Profar.

Center Field

Marsh and Rojas are potential trade candidates. However, their ability to play center field may keep them on the roster in 2025. Phillies center fielders had a .644 OPS and an 80 wRC+ in 2024. While it is possible that both Marsh and Rojas get traded, that is unlikely. That scenario would likely involve moving a corner outfielder to center field. Marsh and Rojas platooning in center while someone is brought into play left field is also a possibility. It remains to be seen what will happen in this area. The Phillies have made it clear they want to upgrade their outfield in the offseason. How they do so remains an open question that will need to be answered.

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St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar is a trade candidate who could fill this role. Nootbaar has extensive expertise in center field. Additionally, he ranked in the 100th percentile in chase rate in 2024 per Baseball Savant. Nootbaar had a career-best 19.5% strikeout rate and a 12.8% walk rate in 2024. That walk rate ranked third among NL hitters with at least 400 plate appearances. He also ranked eighth in the NL with a 0.66 BB/K rate in 2024 among players with at least 400 plate appearances. The Phillies could use a player like Nootbaar in their lineup. He makes contact and gets on base, which is something the Phillies struggle with.

Right Field

Castellanos will be the Phillies’ right fielder next year, and is under contract through the 2026 season. Castellanos played in every game in 2024. This season, the veteran had a .254/.311/.431 line with 23 home runs and 86 RBI, along with a 105 wRC+ and a .294 BABIP. Castellanos improved his strikeout rate from 27.6% in 2023 to 21.1% in 2024, also improving his walk rate from 5.4% to 6.2%. His continuing to improve his strikeout and walk rates would be good for the Phillies offense. Defensively, Castellanos had fewer Defensive Runs Saved, fewer Outs Above Average, and a worse Fielding Run Value in 2024 than 2023.

It is unlikely that the Phillies will trade Castellanos this offseason. He has two years and $40 million left on his contract, and no team is likely to take that on. Castellanos has also performed at a level offensively where trading him does not make as much sense now as it may have last offseason. The defensive metrics and the eye test results defensively do not exactly match up, which is interesting. Castellanos, while not a great defensive outfielder, is better than the defensive metrics give him credit for. In addition, he will be in right field regardless of who the Phillies acquire. A move to left field will not happen in all likelihood.

Designated Hitter

Kyle Schwarber will be the Phillies’ designated hitter next season. He is under contract through the end of next year. Since he is heading into his age 32 season and has a lot left in the tank, it would help the Phillies to give Schwarber an extension to make him a Phillie for the rest of his career. In addition to being a great player, he is a leader in the Phillies clubhouse. Keeping Schwarber with the Phillies for years to come would be a good move for everyone involved. The fact he is a designated hitter due to his poor defense in left field does create some challenges. Despite that, Schwarber provides a lot of value at the plate and off the field.

In 2024, Schwarber had a .248/.366/.485 line with 38 home runs and 104 RBI, along with a 135 wRC+ and a .301 BABIP in 150 games. Outside of home runs, he matched or improved his 2023 totals in each of those categories in 2024. Schwarber led qualified NL batters with a 15.3% walk rate in 2024, leading the NL with 106 walks. However, he had a 28.5% strikeout rate, which ranked as the eighth worst among that group. His 197 strikeouts were the third most in the NL. Schwarber also tied for the best hard-hit ball rate among qualified NL batters with a 44.3% hard-hit ball percentage.

 

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