The Philadelphia Phillies were in a peculiar spot this offseason and it reeked of a need for change. Trotting out the same exact club would do a serious disservice to the team and their ability to compete in a tougher NL East division in 2025, per Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The Phillies were also looking to make moves in an effort to navigate the current payroll situation they find themselves in.
One of the biggest needs was the outfield. Even with the depth that Philadelphia has to their lineup, a major flaw was their everyday outfield production. So they went and signed 10-year veteran outfielder Max Kepler to a one-year, $10 million free agent deal to secure their every-day left fielder going forward. It’s not the big splash fans were hoping for, but for now it locks up the position.
Former MLB general manager Jim Bowden of The Athletic had a differing view of the signing (subscription required).
“I’m not sure I like the fit,” Bowden stated. “He’s an above-average defender in right field, where he’s been more of a platoon player. He has a career sash line of .237/.318/.429 over 10 years with the Twins.”
To Bowden’s credit, the position in question was left field as it has been over the last few years for the club. Kepler hasn’t played a single Major League game in left field and his price tag would assume his defense can carry over from the opposite corner outfield position. Changing positions is even for some, but is never a given. That is also assuming he can stay healthy while being able to grow offensively against left-handed pitching. His career .655 OPS against lefties is troubling and could force a shuffling of some kind in the outfield.
The Phillies non-tendered outfielder Austin Hays who is estimated to receive roughly $6.4 million in arbitration. So paying an increased price tag will be an uneasy feeling if the deal flops. The Phillies had options to trade for an outfielder to possibly save money in the luxury tax, but Kepler will instead be the guy to lead the Phillies’ left field position. Crazier things have happened, but fans just hope the team can get their money’s worth with the championship window still intact.
