Phillies' Potential Brandon Marsh Trade Receives Update

During the first half of the 2026 MLB campaign, Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh was looking like a sleeper MVP candidate.

Marsh topped out at an .890 OPS on June 7, and that month overall, he slashed .315/.345/.604 with nine home runs and 21 RBI.

He then opened an .881 OPS on July 1 before things unraveled.

Marsh, who made the All-Star team, posted a miserable .422 OPS in July. He then slashed .244/.320/.314 in August before plummeting back down to a .432 OPS in September.

The 28-year-old ended the year with a .260/.304/.408 slash line, marking what was, quite easily, his worst season with the Phillies.

What exactly happened to Marsh?

It's hard to say, but with the former second-round pick having just one year of club control remaining, he could be a trade candidate this offseason.

Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic doesn't seem wild about the idea of moving Marsh when his value is so low, but she also feels it would create some room for Justin Crawford and/or Trea Turner to play a corner outfield spot while also giving Philadelphia leeway to pursue another outfielder via trade or free agency.

Marsh would probably have value to some teams because of his decent track record, as he has registered a respectable .766 OPS since arriving in Philly midway through 2022.

However, his offensive dropoff in 2026 was certainly concerning, as has been his decline defensively.

The Phillies absolutely need to make some changes this offseason after a brutal month of September and another early playoff exit, this time at the hands of the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card Series.

While that doesn't necessarily mean Philadelphia has to trade Marsh, you would think Dave Dombrowski would certainly be open to offers.

Even at his best, Marsh is far from indispensable, and the Phillies should be able to find an upgrade somewhere this winter.

Philadelphia could also look to trade Bryce Harper and/or Kyle Schwarber, but Harper has a full no-trade clause, and Schwarber can exercise his 10-and-5 rights to veto any deal.

That leaves Marsh as one of the more obvious candidates to go. He is still cheap, and he wouldn't have any say in a potential trade destination.

Whether or not the Phillies can extract enough value out of Marsh to make it worthwhile, however, is another story entirely.

We'll see what Philadelphia decides to do in the coming months.