High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Eight Outfielders Who Could Replace Brandon Marsh | WIP Daily

Episode Date: June 3, 2024

Joe Giglio and Tucker Bagley discuss eight outfielders the Phillies could trade for if Brandon Marsh heads to the injured list. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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with takes from someone who's never short on them. It's WIP Daily with Joe Giglio. Welcome on in. WIP Daily, Joe Giglio with you. I appreciate everyone listening, subscribing, following the podcast. Of course, our YouTube feed, which we're on right now, 94WIP. Check it out there and subscribe. Tucker will join me in a few minutes.

As the Phillies come off a good weekend, two out of three, they dodge a bullet Saturday night with the Ranger Suarez injury, which looked awful. And it turns out it's just a bruise. It's going to be okay. We'll see if they skip a start or so, but that's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. They went two out of three.

Could have been more last night. Probably should have been more. Tywon Walker is just, he's horrendous. And an anchor weighing down what is otherwise the best staff in the National League. So Phillies went two out of three. But last night late, along with the loss of the game, was the loss of Brandon Marsh, who goes down with a hamstring issue.

I'm not a doctor, but I've seen a lot of these over the years as a fan. And that looks like one that's going to be more than a couple days. It might be an IELTS sin. It might be a Trey Turner type of thing. You can kind of tell the reaction of a player if it's something real, and that felt like something real when he came out of the game and walked off the field. So we'll see.

But the Phillies may be down their most productive outfielder in Brandon Marsh for a decent period of time, and that's of an outfield that's not very productive at all to begin with. When you add up the outfield numbers of Marsh, of Castellanos, who has had a better last, I would say and a half two weeks than the before but the bar is pretty low and then whatever they get out of center field you know between Pache who came in last night and Rojas and the times Merrifield's been in the outfield it's a dim outfield and for a team that's dominant great sturdy pitching a big time bullpen a great infield offensive catcher.

The part of the scene that doesn't provide much is obviously the outfield. So now what? Can the Phillies go out there and make a move? Will they go make a move? Jim Bowden yesterday, MLB Network Radio said that's where when the Phillies are making early calls, it's all about the outfield right now. It's not about the bullpen. It's about the outfield right now. That's what the Phillies are focused on. They should be. It's why when the year started, I was on the Ask Al Trout train and said, Mike Trout would be the perfect fit. Now he's still hurt. No idea when he's come back. That's obviously on the shelf, but the Phillies have an opportunity here over the next two months to augment their outfield. And it doesn't have to be with a huge name. Like there's not going to be a Juan Soto traded this

year. That was last year. That was the year before. Mike Trout's probably not going to be traded. We'll see when he gets back. And if that becomes a thing again, it could, but probably not. So we're looking more at role player kind of, you know, guys that could come in and fill a role, maybe play center, maybe platoon and left with Marsh, maybe take over and right for Castellanos if he goes into tank in the playoffs. They need another option. It's why last week I said, hey, why can't Trey Turner put on an outfield glove? The other day, Topper said, hey, maybe Sosa can put on an outfield glove. They need more options in the outfield because what they have just doesn't feel good enough.

I mean, are they really for the next month, if Marsh needs an IL stint, could just run Pache and Rojas out five or six days a week? That feels like a recipe to really bring their run scoring potential down a lot. So I've got how many names I got here? Well, I got seven names to go through that I think are all available or will be available over the next month, month and a half to two months, and all come in varying degrees of help for the Phillies in terms of now and into the future. All right, I'm going to throw the names out and then we'll bring Tucker on to see what he thinks. If he's got a name, if he likes saying the names and what we think they should do in the outfield, because right now they need help out there. All right, number one, I'm

going to go with a pair of teammates on the same team right now that I think either could be helpful to the Phillies. And one obviously is a pretty ironic name on this list. The number one name that I wrote down is Mark Canna from the Detroit Tigers. With the Mets last couple of years, with the A's before that, Mark Canna is a good player. I thought he'd be a good signing for them a year ago. He went to the Mets and then this offseason ended up in Detroit on the Tigers. He has a walk rate over 10%. OBP is at almost 360. He's got pop. He could play, really could play in the outfield positions. I would think at this stage of his career, he's more of a corner guy. But I've always liked him. I think he's a good player.

I think he's the kind of guy that, you know, winning teams have them in their lineup. The thing I like about Mark Kanna is he fits anywhere in the Phillies lineup. If there's a lot of injuries and you end up batting him too, it's okay. He also could bat eighth or ninth without a problem. It's not like you're bringing in this huge name. I don't think it would cost the bunch. Detroit is in it, but they're not really in it. The top teams in that AL Central are better than them.

They strike me as a 500-ish team that probably should be looking towards next year and the year after to really make a run. And he's a good player. I think he's been good for the young guys, but I don't see why they'd be married to him at this stage of his career. Mark Canna, first name I wrote down, good on base, power, defense in the outfield. He could run pretty well. I think he's a perfect fit. He could platoon with Marsh in a perfect platoon, left, right. Or he could just take over right field. If Castellanos stinks, if we get to the playoffs, he could play out there every single game and help you. Number two, his teammate, a name we know very well, and that's Matt Vierling. Has anyone looked at what Matt Vierling has done with the Detroit Tigers this year? His OPS is over 800. He's batting 290 forward, slugging over 500. Doesn't strike out much. And we know he's

versatile. He played the infield here, played the outfield. He could definitely play center field. I mean, he's a better option right now offensively by a lot than Pache or Rojas. Again, another platoon partner for Marsh down the line. But if things go awry for the young defensive center fielders, Matt Vierling starting in center field in the playoffs, you could do worse than that at the bottom of the order. I don't know what the Tigers would want back. Could we just swap Soto and Vierling? Could we swap it back out? I would do it. I would do it

right now. That trade really has become, it was the Gregory Soto trade. And now it's become like, hey, Cody Clemens is the most productive player the Phillies got in that deal. And Veerling's done a good job out there in Detroit and he's progressed in his career. I would, if the Phillies say, we'll give you Soto back for Vierling. If the Tigers said, okay, I would do it in a heartbeat. I like Matt Vierling. He's done a good job for the Tigers. I would take it back. All right. Next name. Let's go to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Connor Joe, right-handed hitter. He's kind of bounced around early in his career. He's got a good eye at the plate. He's got power. He could play corner outfield or he could play first

base if you needed to. I think he's an underrated player with a lot of pop. He could play corner outfield or he could play first base if you needed to. I think he's an underrated player with a lot of pop. He kind of reminds me of like a right-handed version of what Lamont Wade is for the San Francisco Giants. I think he's a guy that you put him in a pennant race and you'd really see what he could do. I think back to when Dombrowski won the World Series in 2018 with the Red Sox. And one of the moves he made that summer was straight for Steve Pierce. Versatile, right-handed hitter, came up huge in the postseason for them. And these are the kind of players on my list.

I think Connor Joe has a chance to be a Steve Pierce-ish kind of hitter as his career goes on and be a guy that produces in a big moment. And Pittsburgh, although they're in it, and I wouldn't count them out, and with Skeens and Jerry Jones and Mitch Keller, they're kind of an interesting team this summer in the wildcard race because, as we've seen, 500 could probably get that last wildcard in the NL. Last year was 84 wins, 83, 84. So I'm not sure if the Pirates are ready to sell right now.

The Tigers are in a tougher league in terms of the wildcard. The AL is going to be more challenging to get the fifth and sixth wildcard spot than it will be in the NL. So maybe a team like the Tigers more willing, a team like the Pirates not as willing today. But Connor Joe, certainly on my list. Another guy in the NL Central on my list. Now, this would probably cost the most of anyone on the list because he has a lot of club control left he's sitting in the middle of the order for this team and their future i still think is bright even though they've had a ton of injuries this year and it just hasn't worked out and that's a cincinnati reds now they're

another team in because the nl is so watered down in the middle if they get hot in the second half they can still make a run in a wild card i don't think they're going to catch Milwaukee or win that division, but Spencer Steer is a good hitter and he could play corner outfield. He could play first base, you know, similar to a lot of the guys in this list. And he's got real pop and he's, you know, he's been a guy that's been a big RBI guy. So as you kind of play it forward, one thing that I've noticed the last month, and I'm not, I'm not ready to say that they have to take this guy in the middle of the order or let's pretend April didn't happen, but Alec Boehm is in a slump and all those RBIs he was racking up early, you know, he doesn't generate runs batted in or runs from power. He generates

it from contact, from hits, from singles, doubles, doubles and singles. And when he's not hitting those or he's not timing up his timing, like his doubles and his singles with runners on base, the production drops because he's not going to hit 30 home runs. So we look at Alec Bowman as an RBI guy. I look at him as an opportunistic hitter, as a guy with good timing, as a good hitter with good timing. Alan Craig was a hitter for the Cardinals like a little over a decade ago when they were in the World Series against the Red Sox. Similar kind of player. Not a lot of power.

Great RBI guy. He had injuries. His career fell off. But I do wonder down the line, if Castellanos doesn't get going and Boehm kind of reverts back to what he's been rather than what he was in April, do the Phillies need a better option in the middle of the order? And that's where the original idea for Trout came. That's why I do think as

Reese Hoskins comes back tonight, they do miss Reese's bat. It's why down the stretch in the playoffs last year, Arizona attacked Alec Boehm. The Steer idea, Steer and the next guy I'm going to mention, they could profile as middle of the order bats. If things change

over the course of the season and you want to drop Boehm down, you could put Spencer Steer forth and feel good about it. So he would probably cost the most, but probably give you the most production as well. Next on my list, I got three more names, and then we'll get Tucker's thoughts on all these. Next on my list is Taylor Ward, Los Angeles Angels. We already talked about maybe going after an Angel Alfield

or Mike Trout. Well, how about Taylor Ward, who's actually healthy right now, bouncing back after a weird year last year. He's got 11 home runs, slugging 466. He's a good player, and he's kind of lost. The Angels are clearly going to sell him. They might be one of the first teams. They and the Marlins already traded Luis Uribe to just wave the white flag and say, yeah, we're out. We're out.

Taylor Ward probably could be had. He has some club control, so it gives them options in the next couple years if they want to dump Castellanos in the offseason, if they want to move Marsh back to center, if they want to create a true platoon in left field with Marsh because we know he doesn't hit lefties. but a guy with some club control. Sixth guy on my list, and it's a big risk because he's hurt. He always seems to be hurt, is Tyler O'Neal. Now he has right knee inflammation. He's up in Boston. They're at 500. I don't think they're throwing the towel in yet. First month of the year, look, I get hit 50 home runs.

He did this a few years ago in St. Louis. Then he got hurt and fell off. There's always something with him, but he's the kind of guy. Remember what Jorge Soler was for the Braves three years ago when they won the World Series? Tyler O'Neal has that kind of power. If he gets on a heater, he could hit eight home runs in October and help carry you to a World Series, go in a World Series MVP, but the injury there and he's falling off. He said the knees would bother him for a while. So that's a red flag one. He's currently on the IL. Last one. I don't know if I like this one, but he's got to be on this list.

Tommy Pham. They should have traded for him last year. He helped the Diamondbacks beat the Phillies. He's with the White Sox right now. Anyone could assign him in spring training. My only issue with him is he's very high strung. I mean, yesterday's time I beat people up again. I do wonder how he fits in this clubhouse, which is professional, but also like goofy and vibes.

And he seems a little too serious for me, but he's certainly available on a terrible White Sox team. He's not going to cost much because they signed him five weeks ago. So that one could probably be had for a song. It's just a matter of, I'm not sure how his personality mixes. My favorite names in this list are the Tigers names. Kana, Matt Veerling, Connor Joe's a good player in Pittsburgh, Tyler O'Neill, but the injury red flags, Spencer Steer, highest cost but probably the biggest upside, Taylor Ward out in Los Angeles with the Angels, and Tommy Pham. Tucker, the Phillies probably need an outfielder no matter what, but if Brandon Marshall's going to be out a while, they're really thin out there now.

Yeah. And, you know, even though Rob Thompson said last night that Whitmerryfield actually needs more playing time, not less, which as much as I love Rob Thompson, I think is probably a career playoff OPS over 850, 860, something like that. He's been productive in the postseason and in a limited role, too. He hasn't been an everyday player, so he's someone that come October could be a guy, a huge bench piece for a team that really hasn't had a lot of bench pieces produced for them in the postseason. Maybe to the detriment of the team and the other guy who I think who you know it's kind of like Spencer Steer Brent Rooker in Oakland and I don't know if they would really give up on him because he's not making a lot of money I think he's under club control until 2027 he's got an OPS this year over 900 he was an all-star last year he kind of bounced around he's older for a

guy who's really only in his second full year in the majors, I think he's 28 or 29. But that's a guy who can play both corner and outfield spots. He's been super productive on a pretty terrible Oakland A's team the last two years. If you're looking to really upgrade that position and find someone who can stick and, like you said, maybe replace Castellanos or just be a part of this team in 2025 and beyond,

I'd give Oakland a call and see what they're willing to part with him for. You know, I like the Brent Rooker idea because a little bit of him, like there's a Matt Stairs element. Now he's right-handed, Stairs obviously lefty, but he comes from the A's. And the options we're going with here or talking about today, they're not necessarily, Steer would be, but they don't have to be everyday players. They could be more role players.

You have the Jeff Jenkins and Jason Wirth kind of thing back in 08. That stairs. A guy that is on the team helps you if you want to sacrifice some defense and eventually move Marsh to center. This guy could play left, but it doesn't have to be like we're locked in for the next three years on this player. Steer's more of that. The other guys are more role players. But Rooker's a good idea. Now, I don't's very good defender but that's all right um you know the Phillies got to a World Series of college football

playing um you know in the outfield every day but Rooker strikes me as type of guy who doesn't start a game in the playoffs and the lefty comes in to face the tough part of the order or to get marsh and then topper goes to Rooker and he hits a big pitch at home. And I could see that. I like that addition to Lesnar. So we've got eight names here, eight names that Phillies could go after. And I think, you know, probably four or five of them could be had today. Maybe it's more like two or three of them. But I think some of these teams would probably make a trade today,

more likely the next month or so. But the Phillies are going to have to augment the outfield. We've got some options for them to do it. Appreciate everyone listening, subscribing, following WIP Daily. We'll talk soon.