Philadelphia Phillies Looking to Add Lefty Outfielder

The Phillies front office has spent the offseason making veteran additions, and it sounds like they’re prepared to make one more.

According to a report by Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, the Phillies are looking to add a veteran outfielder. Free agents Michael Saunders and Brandon Moss are being looked at on one-year deals. Additionally, Jay Bruce of the Mets is being considered as a trade option. This trio of lefties all have some promise, but they come with their share of question marks.

Jay Bruce is a defensive nightmare. He’s also very slow-footed, and has been worth only 0.2 fWAR in his last three seasons. On the plus side of things, he’s averaged more than 26 home runs per year in nine MLB seasons. It’s alarming that he hit a cringe-worthy .219/.294/.391 following a midseason trade to New York this year, but Bruce finished strong with a .942 OPS and six home runs in September.

He’s still just 29 years old (30 in April), which doesn’t rule out the possibility of him maturing at the plate. The Mets have been unsuccessfully shopping him all offseason, and he’ll earn $13M in 2017. Jay Bruce won’t cost the Phillies top talent, only the salary and a roster spot.

Brandon Moss is similar to Bruce in a lot of ways. They’re both low batting average, low OBP players capable of blasting 30 bombs a year. Moss is three years older, but has a slightly superior glove. Unlike Bruce and Saunders, Brandon Moss has already worn a Phillies uniform. In 2011 he was an outfielder for the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs, and went hitless in six September at-bats for the major league club. The following year he had a breakout with the A’s, and has hit 19+ bombs in every year since. Personally, I don’t see Moss as a good fit with the Phillies. His glove plays better at first base, and Tommy Joseph has earned the chance to start every day.

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If the Phillies were to sign any of these three players, it should be Michael Saunders. He is the least proven player mentioned by a wide margin, but his first-half breakout in 2016 is too promising to ignore. Heading into the Midsummer Classic, Saunders was hitting .298/.372/.551 with 16 homers. That level of play earned him his first All-Star selection, and made the Blue Jays front office look very smart.

He batted just .179 after that, dragging his final season slash line down to .253/.338/.478. A quick peek at his 15-game rolling average for ground ball percentage (courtesy of Fangraphs) displays a spike in ground balls after the All-Star break, and he was never able to fix his swing from then on.

Then when hope was lost, Saunders went 8-for-21 in the postseason, hitting a home run and a double. He also strikes out a lot, but there’s a good reason for the Phillies to look into him. If he can rediscover the swing that made him an All-Star in 2016, Michael Saunders would be worth picking up on a one-year deal. When it comes to midseason trade bait, he’s a more appealing option than Bruce or Moss.

Another major takeaway is that Zolecki’s sources claim Jose Bautista has “almost no chance” of signing with Philadelphia. That Bautista is not being seriously considered should come as a surprise to no one. Of all the players mentioned, he had the least productive 2016 campaign. He’s also the oldest, and only right-handed hitter on this list.

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Those are three solid reasons right there, and I haven’t even mentioned the qualifying offer yet. Because he declined the Blue Jays’ QO, any other team that signs Bautista before the season begins will have to sacrifice their top unprotected draft pick. For the rebuilding Phillies, that second round pick is more valuable than the 2-4 wins Bautista will provide next season.

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