The Philadelphia Phillies are being projected to land a breakout star in MLB free agency.
The Philadelphia Phillies absolutely need to make some changes this offseason, especially in their outfield which is a complete mess right now.
Harrison Bader and Max Kepler are both free agency, and the Phillies are begging teams to take Nick Castellanos off their hands.
While Kyle Tucker is available, it does not seem like Philadelphia will splurge on the four-time All-Star, especially considering it is probably going to re-sign Kyle Schwarber.
So what else can the Phillies do as far as their outfield is concerned?
Well, former MLB player Trevor Plouffe, who briefly played in Philadelphia in 2018, feels that the Phillies will end up signing Trent Grisham.
“I’ve been on the hunt to find the center fielder for the Phillies, like a true guy that’s going to go in there,” Plouffe said on Talkin’ Baseball. “I don’t want to call it a stopgap for the next couple of years. I love Harrison Bader there. Does he sign back there? Possibly. But I think Bader is going to go wherever he gets the most money. There’s another guy that I think is a better fit, and I’m going to go with former Yankee Trent Grisham to the Phillies."
Grisham had a breakout season for the Yankees in 2025, slashing .235/.348/.464 with 34 home runs and 74 RBI over 581 plate appearances.
“I don’t think it’s a long deal. If they are going to give up a draft pick, they will give him three years," Plouffe added. "Trent Grisham is manning center field at Citizens Bank Park next year. Three-year deal for him.”
Because New York pitched a qualifying offer to Grisham, whoever signs him with have to surrender a compensatory draft pick to the Yankees. But the Phillies may be willing to do that.
All things considered, though, Grisham does come with his fair share of caveats.
Before busting through in 2025, the 28-year-old batted under .200 for three straight campaigns. He had also never even hit 20 homers before since entering the big leagues in 2019.
Also, while Grisham won a pair of Gold Gloves during his San Diego Padres days, his defense has slipped considerably in recent years, so much so that he posted a minus-11 DRS this past season.
There are definitely some red flags when it comes to Grisham, but in such a thin outfield market, Philadelphia may not have much of a choice.