As the Philadelphia Phillies hunt for a right-handed outfielder, Arizona Diamondbacks' Lourdes Gurriel Jr. emerges as a potential trade target despite his recent struggles.
The Arizona Diamondbacks continue to hover around .500, and there could be quite a few names they have interest in shopping at the trade deadline.
USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale released his latest report, one that sees the Philadelphia Phillies expressing interest in outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
The 32-year-old is a right-handed outfielder who primarily plays in left field. That's not to say he can't play elsewhere, but the last time he didn't play in left was in the 2022 season.
Throughout his career, Gurriel has primarily been a left fielder, but he's also held things down at first and second base along with shortstop.
Should Diamondbacks trade Gurriel?
"The Phillies have included Diamondbacks left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. among their possible trade targets for a right-handed hitting outfielder, which also includes Angels right fielder Jo Adell. Gurriel, however, is hitting just .222 with two homers, 20 RBI and a .565 OPS in 45 games since opening the season on the IL," Nightengale wrote.
Gurriel Jr. sports a career low -0.5 WAR this season, one that may not be too interesting for the Phillies. Overall, the Cuban native is still a tremendous player, but this deep into his big league career he seems to have hit a bit of a wall.
Philadelphia needs a right-handed outfielder, but they don't want to overpay for someone who's trending in the wrong direction. As Nightengale mentioned, Gurriel has just a pair of home runs this season, a number that's down tremendously from the 19 he hit in 2025.
Arizona could be quick to move on from Gurriel, but the price would have to be right. In no world are the Phillies going to overpay, but the Diamondbacks could end up winning this trade as Philadelphia is only two games back in the National League East. They're looking to be aggressive, and the Diamondbacks should capitalize on that, if at all possible.
Gurriel's advanced numbers aren't great
In 167 at-bats this season, the Diamondbacks have had to navigate with a left fielder who's drawing walks at a horrendous 5.5% rate, is chasing 39.7% of the time, and has an extremely high strikeout rate (17.7%), according to Baseball Savant.
Gurriel isn't the fastest player in the world, but he's got a great arm. At this point, the Phillies must consider how important he is to their equation before going through with someone who has a $14 million club option in 2027.
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