The Philadelphia Phillies are reportedly interested in free agent Randal Grichuk, but would he solve the team's outfield issues?
Even after signing Adolis Garcia to a one-year contract for the 2026 season, the Philadelphia Phillies still have some concerns in the outfield.
With that, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic reported on Monday that the Phillies have interest in free agent outfielder Randal Grichuk. The big question is, would the veteran actually solve Philadelphia’s outfield depth issue?
Randal Grichuk Could Help the Phillies In a Specific Role
Would Grichuk be the player who gets the Phillies over their playoff hump to finally win a World Series with this core? No.
Would Grichuk help the Phillies fill one of the biggest holes they have in their outfield right now? Yes.
Currently, Philadelphia’s projected starting outfield is Garcia in right field, Justin Crawford in center field, and Brandon Marsh in left field. The left side of the outfield is where a Grichuk addition could help the roster.
Marsh is a tremendous hitter against right-handed pitching. Last season, he logged a .838 OPS when hitting off righties. That number took a steep drop when facing southpaws, with Marsh registering a .576 OPS when going up against lefties.
Clearly, the Phillies need to find some sort of platoon partner for Marsh, especially with Harrison Bader now a free agent and the team appearing set to move on from right-handed hitting Nick Castellanos.
Jun 24, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter Randal Grichuk (15) hits a single during the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn ImagesGrihuck could certainly help in that department. Last season, the 36-year-old had a .703 OPS against left-handed pitchers, which is actually below-average with his .819 career OPS against southpaws.
Grichuk would be a great candidate to be a platoon partner for Marsh and likely wouldn’t cost much for the Phillies to bring in. So, yes, the veteran would help solve Philadelphia’s depth issue in the outfield.
That said, a potential Grichuk signing shouldn’t take the Phillies out of the running to pursue other avenues to upgrade the outfield. Luis Robert Jr. is still an intriguing trade candidate, Cody Bellinger would obviously be a great fit in Philadelphia, and signing Kyle Tucker would make the Phillies a World Series contender.
Either way, it appears the Phillies aren’t done adding to the outfield, and it’ll be interesting to see what other moves Dave Dombrowski has up his sleeve before spring training starts.