The Rays designated outfielder Brett Phillips for assignment yesterday upon acquiring outfielder Jose Siri from the Astros, and while a team normally has a week to trade a player following a DFA, that’s not the case with today’s 6pm ET deadline looming. Phillips seems likely to change hands today, as he’s already drawing interest from multiple clubs. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe tweets that the Red Sox have reached out to the Rays, while Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that the Phillies have also shown interest as they look to add some defense in center. Brendan Kuty of NJ.com adds the Yankees as another interested club.
It’s been a dismal season at the plate for Phillips, who’s hitting just .147/.225/.250 through 208 plate appearances and has fanned at a whopping 40.9% rate. He’s never been one to provide much with the bat, but this year’s struggles still represent a pronounced departure from last year’s .206/.300/.427 output and the career .201/.291/.381 Phillips carried into the season.
For all of Phillips’ struggles with the bat, he’s long been one of the game’s premier defenders. He’s not only capable of playing all three outfield spots but is a plus defender across the board, evidenced by career marks of 38 Defensive Runs Saved, 31 Outs Above Average and a 25.3 Ultimate Zone Rating in just 2100 innings of outfield work in his career. The left-handed-hitting Phillips also has displayed plenty of pop and been an excellent base stealer prior to the season. In 675 prior plate appearances, he’d popped 23 homers and gone 29-for-34 in stolen base attempts.
Phillips is earning $1.4MM this season and is controllable for another two years via arbitration, although this year’s struggles at the plate make him an obvious non-tender candidate. Still, as a backup outfielder with power, speed and an elite glove, he could offer plenty of value to a contender off the bench in the season’s final couple months. He’s out of minor league options, so he’ll need to stick on the roster of whatever club potentially acquires him.
Speculatively, there are plenty of other potential fits even beyond the three teams reported to have inquired. The Marlins and Astros are both known to be looking for potential center field upgrades, and Phillips is of course a former Astros farmhand. The Twins’ outfield is banged up beyond recognition at the moment, and Phillips would give them a low-cost stopgap with elite defense to help shore things up. The Blue Jays could see Phillips as a more appealing version of the same skill set that current fourth outfielder Bradley Zimmer offers.
Lack of offensive value notwithstanding, the defense, speed and past power production could very well land Phillips with another team at some point today.
How did the options in CF become so abysmal in recent years?
Nobody is probably looking at Brett Phillips as their regular center fielder. Though he isn’t a bad 4th outfielder. Just last year he was a league average batter with +11 DRS between all three outfield positions. He put up a .870 OPS vs RHP, which is pretty good for a guy who provides that good of defense.
Some teams will prioritize defense at least part time so light hitting but excellent defensive outfielders are still in demand.
It’s facisnating to me. There are so few solid true CFs out there.
99, as soon as teams draft/sign a player, the 1st thing they do is put them on a “nutrition” plan to gain as much weight as possible. “He weighs more, he must be stronger.” Stuck in the 1970s. What they should realize is that if he weighs more, he’s slower. That’s why there are no center fielders.
@questionablesource
“…teams make cf gain as much weight as possible..What teams should realize is that if he weighs more, he’s slower. That’s why there are no center fielders”
100%. This is correct. Baseball teams routinely sabotage having center fielders. They just do not care tbh. They really don’t.
The teams spend hundreds of millions of $, yet have absolutely no idea what makes a centerfielder.
They make all the rookie CF bulk up, and then they have to transition to LF, DH, parking attendants, and car salesman. Its a vicious cycle.
Brett Phillips, you know, the player this article and comments are referencing. Have you seen how huge he is at 190lbs. He’s built like a monster truck.
as if
Laureano, Pache, Taveras, Michael Harris, robert, bader, inciarte, bradley, Michael Taylor, Mullins, yastremski, myers, grisham.
Sure, elite players like Acuna often bulk up, and move to RF. I concede that point. But often it’s to prevent injuries and slow wear.
@Lord99
Much rather bring up Estevan Florial!!! Wish the Yankees would move Aaron Hicks and recall Florial.
This is kind of impressive, but in a bad way. Brett Phillips has 36 plate apearances against lefties and no hits.
Makes too much sense for the Phillies.
Also has one of the strongest and most accurate OF arms in MLB…..very possibly the best.
The best pinch runner / OF replacement in the late innings of a close game.
No way his arm is better than Kiermaier’s cannon.
Plus this dude is just a lot of fun. That’s probably not much to a major league team, but it’s pretty refreshing for fans!
That’s why he’s always been a fan favorite. Great attitude and, like you said, just a lot of fun to watch. I wish him well.
I don’t give a rats behind if he is Willie Mays in his prime, that offensive output doesn’t warrant keeping him on a contending team’s roster. That’s why the Rays were searching for upgrades. They love him as a person, too, but that’s just not sufficient given his pathetic lack of production. Even his career numbers are crap.
Brewers got him in Josh Hader trade with Houston! He cannot hit,, but is one of the best defensive outfielders in BB! One of my wife’s favorite players! Good luck in your next stop!
Wow! Oh my God! Ridiculous! Unbelievable!
Red Sox should have no interest…. we already have JBJ that fills that role as light hitting defensive outfielder.
They just need to let Duran play….. dude had a nice game last night versus Stros.
Chaim is shopping at the salvage yards trying to build a McClaren! Redsox need to find a new POB, not an outfielder hitting .150. Wake up John Henry.
I mean the appeal here is obvious… it’s literally a cheaper, more controllable JBJ profile. I would assume that if the Sox were to get Phillips then JBJ is done if he wasn’t already with acquiring Pham.
Secondly, Phillips is in no way the marquee deadline deal for the Red Sox. Think of this interest less of “that’s our move” and more like “let’s add some organizational depth for cheap”.
Even if ownership hasn’t flat out said it, Bloom clearly has his orders to be below the luxury tax. He somehow fielded a roster last year that most people didn’t peg for the playoffs into an ALCS contender while dipping below the tax line.
A lot of money is coming off the books this year so I’m curious to see how Bloom will handle this flexibility (something he hasn’t had since he took over).
So far though, he’s built a winner, stayed below the tax line, and built up a farm system left with almost nobody after Dealin’ Dave.
As a Phan, I’d pass..The Phillies have more pressing issues..Rotation and relief
Crowd favorite and great defender….if he could only hit .235-.245
Yeah, he’d still be on the Rays’ active roster.
Bradley Zimmer is a 5th outfielder, not 4th.
Dumpster Diving Chaim Bloom needs to be fired for this disaster of a team he put together this year, no closer, Wacha, Hill, paying Paxton 11 million to rehab, Diekmann, keeping Dalbac at first base, a lousy bullpen, letting Schwarber go free agent when he wanted to stay, not picking up a closer, trading Vazquez for the 28th and 29th Astros prospects. Phillips is right up Blooms alley, overpayrd and no hit.
The problems persisted at the close of last year and are still with the team now. Unbelievable John Henry! I expect better from your management team than this mess.
You post this every week. We’ve heard it a gazillion times, we know your opinion. Give it a rest.
If the Phillies end the year with Phillips and the Rays with Quinn…
Is Phillips really an upgrade over Odubel?
In the not too distant past being below the Mendoza Line meant there was no job for you
Good for Brett!! He’s a good guy who gave everything he had for the rays I’m sure most people in Tampa wish him the best of luck and everything he does. There’s always room for a Brett Phillips on your team.
But there’s not lol. That’s why we’re here in first place.
I sure do wish Brett was a better player, because he’s the nicest dude in the world. Love BP.
Statistics do not tell the whole story…BP has value beyond is subpar stats this year. I wish he would have worked out for TB. Only the best wishes to him. Go Maverick!
OK. Al Avila for AN EIGHTH OF A BUCKET OF DOOLYS’.
ANY TAKERS?
$1.4 million to hit .147 why in the world would the Phillies want this? Just sign me for $200.000 I can’t do much worse.