Philadelphia Phillies Can't Possibly Trade Brandon Marsh

The Philadelphia Phillies' outfield was an unmitigated disaster in 2026, and Brandon Marsh was a central figure in that catastrophe.

While Marsh's numbers don't look too bad on the surface, as the veteran slashed .260/.304/.408 with 18 home runs and 62 RBI, it's what he did during the second half of the season that had everyone prepared to run him out of town.

Marsh batted .184 with a .502 OPS in 63 games after the All-Star break, and he posted sub-.500 OPSes in two out of the final three months of the regular season.

The 28-year-old was consistently horrendous at the plate for a massive chunk of the year, and his defense wasn't very good, either.

This has led some to believe that Marsh — who appeared to be a fringe MVP candidate early on in 2026 — could potentially be a trade candidate this winter.

But could the Phillies actually move the former second-round pick?

First of all, Marsh has very limited value right now. He just posted his worst campaign in a Phillies uniform, and he has just one year of club control remaining. You're not going to find many — if any — teams willing to surrender anything of consequence for him.

Second, Philadelphia actually, kind of needs Marsh.

Right now, the Phillies' outfield consists of Marsh, Justin Crawford, Bryan De La Cruz and Derek Hill. Those are the main characters, and none of them are particularly impressive.

Philadelphia probably needs to add two outfielders even if it retains Marsh, so if it decides to move him, that just opens up another hole.

The Phillies do not have any immediate solutions in their farm system, and it's not like the free-agent market will be teeming with enticing options.

Philly can also fall back on the fact that Marsh hit right-handers at a respectable .270/.318/.424 clip this past season, and he owns a very solid career .766 OPS since arriving in Philadelphia midway through 2022.

It's entirely possible that the back half of Marsh's 2026 campaign was a fluke and that he will recover next spring.

But even if Marsh is doomed going forward, there really is nothing Philadelphia can do here outside of moving Bryce Harper back to the outfield permanently and finding a new first baseman, but that is something the Phillies want to avoid at all costs.

Chances are, Marsh will be returning to Philadelphia next season.