The Philadelphia Phillies know they have a problem in the outfield. There are only a few outfielders on the roster, under contract. They are looking to address the need this winter via free agency. They signed a five-year veteran who last played for the New York Yankees for added depth.
The Philadelphia Phillies have signed five-year journeyman outfielder Bryan De Lo Cruz to a minor league contract. The signing was announced on MLB.com and occurred on Nov.. 6. The website was a few days behind in uploading the transactions.
The 28-year old is well-traveled. He played 16 games for the Atlanta Braves under a non-guaranteed contract that he signed before spring training last season. He was then designated for assignment.
De La Cruz was claimed by the New York Yankees on May 1, but there was really no room for him in the Big Apple as their outfield was crowded. Accordingly, De La Cruz spent the rest of the season playing in Triple-A. He batted .271 with 15 home runs and had an OPS 0f .796 in 91 games for Scranton.
After being designated for assignment by the Yankees in July, and accepting an outright assignment, he elected to opt for free agency on Oct. `10. That was the earliest he could opt to join the market as that was the day the Yankees were eliminated from the postseason.
He started his major league career with the Miami Marlins and worked his way into the starting lineup every day. He was known for his penchant to hit the ball hard. He had 13 dingers in 2022 and 19 in 2023.
De La Cruz was a defensive liability for the Marlins.
He is currently playing for Toros del Este in the Dominican League honing his skills this winter. The Phillies believe they can use him in a pinch in the event of an emergency based upon his major league experience.
Experience in the outfield is something the Phillies currently lack. They are clearly trying to address and rectify the matter in free agency,
Further, a name that has come up in trade talks is Nick Castellanos as he was displeased with the amount of at bats and innings he played last season. He had a down year. Additionally, Max Kepler and Harrison Bader are free agents. Bader is expected to draw significant offers on the open market.
The outfield cupboard is bare and all that remains is Brandon Marsh. The Phillies clearly need to fill up the outfield and they might have made some inroads at the general managers' meetings where Dave Dombrowski met with other teams to inquire about trades. He also met with agents to inquire about their free agent clients.