REPORT: Phillies Pursuing Trade for Three-Time Batting Champion

The Philadelphia Phillies badly need to add some offense before the MLB trade deadline, and they appear to be zeroing in on a potential target.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post has reported that the Phillies are one of several teams making a push for San Francisco Giants second baseman Luis Arraez, who is widely expected to be dealt before the 6 p.m. cutoff on Monday evening.

The Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays are also viewed as potential fits for the three-time batting champion, with some reports having the Rays tabbed as the favorites.

The question, of course, is where Arraez would play in Philadelphia.

Bryson Stott is at second base for the Phillies, and while he owns a pedestrian .722 OPS, he has been terrific the last couple of months. In fact, his overall stats are largely skewed from a miserable first month when he registered a .534 OPS between March and April.

For the most part, Stott has been solid, having homered eight times with 49 RBI. He has also stolen 19 bases without getting caught. Additionally, he is an elite defender at his position.

In theory, Philly could shift Stott over to third base, but Alec Bohm — for all of his struggles — is actually second on the team with 60 RBI courtesy of a .313/.375/.500 slash line with runners in scoring position.

Of course, Bohm owns a .644 OPS on the season as a whole, so he is replaceable.

We also know that Kyle Schwarber is occupying the designated hitter role, so there is no chance that Arraez could serve as the Phillies' DH.

There has been some speculation that Philadelphia could move shortstop Trea Turner — who has been horrendous this season — to the outfield, which would allow the Phils to slide Stott over to short and put Arraez at second.

But would the Phillies really want to put Turner at an entirely new position midway through the season? Turner did briefly play some outfield with the Washington Nationals, but that was only for 45 games a decade ago.

Arraez would absolutely bolster Philadelphia's lineup. He is slashing .328/.364/.446 with four homers and 43 RBI. He is also a lifetime .318 hitter, which leads all active big-league players. What's more, he is batting .382 with men in scoring position.

Perhaps the Phillies will acquire Arraez — who is an impending free agent, by the way — and figure out the rest from there.