One common question in yesterday's chat was which bats the Phillies could acquire this summer. The Phillies rank fifth in the NL with 4.88 runs per game so far, and trading season is two months away, so it's not time to sound the alarm yet. But here are a few potential targets anyway.
There's still no timetable for Chase Utley to return, so the Phillies could consider adding an offensive-minded second baseman. Availability of these players will depend on the standings. If the Phillies seek all-around offense they could try for Arizona's Kelly Johnson or San Francisco's Mark DeRosa. Aaron Hill and Jose Lopez can provide power, while Marco Scutaro, Jeff Keppinger, and Omar Infante are more OBP-focused.
Rather than bring in a $5.85MM second baseman like Johnson, the Phillies seem more likely to add a corner outfielder. Domonic Brown could help out in right field. He could start a rehab assignment soon after breaking his hand in March. The Phillies should have a good idea of whether Brown can be an offensive asset by mid-July.
It's tough to assess the available outfielders in April, before teams reveal their true selves. Carlos Beltran, Jason Kubel, Luke Scott, Juan Pierre, Carlos Quentin, Hunter Pence, Carlos Lee, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Garrett Jones, Ryan Ludwick, Brad Hawpe, Josh Willingham, David DeJesus, Juan Rivera, Jack Cust, Jeff Francoeur, Xavier Nady, Angel Pagan, Kosuke Fukudome, and Marlon Byrd are players I can picture being dealt under certain circumstances. Some are more likely than others – I'm not banking on Kemp being dealt. If the Phillies aim for switch-hitters or right-handed bats, this list is cut to Beltran, Quentin, Pence, Lee, Kemp, Ludwick, Willingham, Rivera, Francoeur, Nady, Pagan, and Byrd.
There are also financial concerns. Incumbent left fielder Raul Ibanez earns $11.5MM this year, and his is not a contract anyone is taking off the Phillies' hands. Some of the above-named players aren't even clear upgrades over Ibanez. We're unsure how much payroll flexibility the Phillies have, and most of the players I named are earning more than $5MM this year. They could unload a different contract, with Joe Blanton the most popular choice. But Blanton is only tradeable if he's pitching reasonably well, and in that case moving him downgrades the Phillies' rotation and might set them back as much as an outfield acquisition would set them forward.
It wouldn't be hard for the Phillies to add a complementary piece like Keppinger or Francoeur. Otherwise, the best chance at an improved offense will probably come from a healthy Utley and production from Brown, Ibanez, or Jimmy Rollins.
JUAN RIVERA PLEASE TAKE HIM
I’ll drive him to Philadelphia myself just to make sure he arrives safely
Juan Rivera for a Roy Halladay autographed jersey!
…..Jays win the trade hands down
No thanks, why no mention of Justin Upton? He should be there real target, this is coming from a HUGE Phils fan.
i doubt they could meet the asking price
The Phillies never aquire the correct brother. We had Jeremy and not Jason Giambi, Mike instead of Greg Maddux, Vince instead of Joe DiMaggio. We would end up with BJ instead of Justin Upton. BJ is a dog and can stay in Tampa.
it is the city of brotherly love after all
Yeah, B.J. Upton would be a complete waste with Ibanez and Francisco in the outfield…..
Ibby is gone after this season.
Get Frenchy. Please. Signed, Frank Wren.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Giants move Mark DeRosa sometime this year.
That’s a good name I neglected to mention.
Jose Bautista for Roy Halladay!
Gid’r done
throw in drabek and the deal is done
What? trade Halladay? Are you crazy?
neither of the two statements above were for real , hell no would i trade halladay
Luis Castillo is still available.
I feel that is a statement that is going to be accurate for a long time.
X Nady?
Another good one to consider.
Heath Bell and Ryan Ludwick for Dominic Brown. JOKING!
Look I know it’s not popular for Cubs fans, but with Brett Jackson coming up, Tyler Colvin could be traded to Philly. I’m sure Kyle Kendrick is available and with Cashner’s health up in the air, we need another starter cause Russell just isn’t cutting it!
Kyle Kendrick is so awful I’m sure the Phillies would be willing to receive a STD in a trade to get him off their hands.
He’s okay. It’s just when he’s bad… it’s bad. He has his good games though. I’d take him over someone like Dice-K. That said… he’s worth maybe a bench player or middle reliever in a trade… not Tyler Colvin.
Um..ok! Colvin yeah a 4 OF. Um…ok! Kendrick’s gotta be better than Casey Coleman.
no chance, colvin is a great cheap player with a strong future as the cubs starting right fielder. Brett will take over for marlon next season and colvin will take over for koske.
Colvin’s not taking over for Koske…he’s the baseball version of a one-hit wonder. The Cubs are gonna hit the FA market to get another OF, if they trade Byrd that is. Jackson may be with the ballclub in 2012, though.
I highly doubt the Mets would trade Angel Pagan to the Phillies of all teams. Truthfully, if the Phillies go as the are until the trade deadline, I really don’t see a trade happening for an offensive player.
You forgot about Brandon Wood.
Michael Young will be their target and they will slide Polanco to 2b. That will be a huge upgrade and Texas might be willing to take Blanton as part of that deal, though I’d love for them to take Ibanez and make him their DH which is where he belongs now at this stage of his career.
Not a chance. Too much $$$ left on Young’s deal and his defense at third is questionable, at best. And it’s just not a smart investment for a team with an aged starting 8.
I kould be completely wrong but ibanez makes about 12M , Blanton 8M , why not trade em’ both for Michael Young. Seems Faily Even to me but then again im a Mets fan lol
Ichiro would be a perfect fit there. Would Philly do something like Brown and Brody Colvin for Ichiro? I doubt Nintendo would be willing to trade him, but Ichiro on the Mariners is like having dubs on a Hyundai!
i think ichiro has no trade clause, and cant picture him leaving the west coast , but he would be alright except hes got no power , like the rest of the current phillies , except howard
Ichiro prefers the west coast in order to keep Godzilla at bay
haha thats just funny. 3 things. 1 he isnt going anywhere him and felix are the only reason people go to M’s games. 2 the phillies do not have anything close to the prospects to get him 3 he has a NTC and wants to stay out west because of the huge asian culture and media out there.
Cossart , Colvin , May , Singleton, Brown, Domingo Santana look up those names for phillies and then consider if they have farm system to get ichiro , he’s good but he aint that good and he lacks the traditional power a right fielder normally has , in my opinion not worth the hassle
“Potential offense targets for the Phillies… Marco Scutaro…” #unexpected
There’s really no need for this article. They just need to tread water until the Cardinals cave and trade Pujols for Howard.
The Cardinals would rather let Pujols walk then pick up Howard’s contract.
Once vicedio comes off the DL for the whitesox and if he gets back to hitting like he was for the sox before he got hurt he could more than likely take over for carlos in right field. More power, probably same average and slightly better defense. Carlos could be moved for a bullpen guy. not named kendrick
jwsox writes.
“Carlos could be moved for a bullpen guy not named Kendrick”
If Kendrick doesn’t excite you the Phillies also have a hard throwing Right hander Danys Baez if the White Sox play there cards right the Phillies could possibly let him go for Carlos Quentin?
Don’t forget about that stud sinker-baller David “Original G” Herndon. Look at the man’s face and tell me he hasn’t stabbed a guy in a Stuckey’s parking lot at least twice? There’s your bullpen anchor right there.
I like Marco Scutaro but I’m not sure if Boston would deal him given Lowrie’s past health concern and the depth Scutaro gives them. If his is available, I would, if I was Ruben, jump at the chance to acquire him.
I think they’ll be fine though. If Utley comes back healthy, Brown will be back also, so that’s like making two trades. While some may doubt Brown, I don’t. You could give the greatest hitter in the history of the game 3 at bats a week and he would have terrible timing also. He also missed 2 weeks and was thrown right back into the fire. This kid can hit and he’s proven it through a minor league career. I have full confidence that, given the chance, this kid would produce.
The Red Sox could still trade Marco Scutaro and be fine because if they really need the help with a Jed Lowrie injury. They do have a couple players they could use, Yamaico Navarro and Jose Iglesias. I’d rather leave Iglesias down in AAA for the year but if it’s necessary to call him up I’m ok with it. And also possible Pedroia could shift to SS for a bit if necessary, I’m not too hot on that considering how good of a defensive 2nd baseman he is but it’s a possibility. They could also get some shortstops for cheap I imagine by the trade deadline if necessary, assuming that some teams aren’t going to be competing by then.
Vance Worley continues to look like a roughly Joe Blanton-ish caliber pitcher. If that continues into midseason and the rest of the staff stays healthy, the Phillies could decide to cut payroll and promote their prospect in the same move.
Alternatively, Kyle Kendrick makes over $2 million. It’s possible the Phillies could acquire a $5 million-ish player while dumping KK’s contract, thus making the trade more affordable. Kendrick’s only good for the depth he provides, even on a second division team. If we assume the trade is made in July, the Phillies would only be adding about $1.5 mil to the payroll.
Kemp, Ethier would be great addition to the Phils.. and I want Chan Ho Park back in Philly