It’s hard to imagine a better version of this year’s Philadelphia Phillies team. But when you’re trying to win a championship, you have to keep pushing for improvements.
Yes, the Phillies are 61-32, having just swept the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of the other preseason World Series favorites. But the Phils have also had an obvious hole in their outfield for most of the season, and the trade deadline is their last chance to address that.
Predictably, the Phillies have been on the phone with most of the obvious non-contenders in hopes of landing their star outfielders. But as of Thursday, it appears Chicago White Sox star Luis Robert Jr. is off the table, meaning the shallow pool of options is already dwindling.
But when one door closes, another opens, and lately, there seems to be a lot of smoke about the Phillies pursuing a certain Oakland Athletics All-Star.
After USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported Sunday that the Phillies were “keeping a close eye” on the Athletics’ Brent Rooker, MLB.com insider Mark Feinsand echoed the sentiment in a trade deadline Q&A.
“Rooker makes sense for the Phillies, but you can guarantee that Dave Dombrowski is monitoring every possible outfield target out there,” Feinsand said.
And yes, there are bound to be other options on the market, but few could possibly be having a more productive season than Rooker. The 29-year-old slugger has 18 home runs, 55 RBI and an. 899 OPS, good for 13th among all qualified hitters.
Rooker likely fits in left field with Philadelphia, meaning Brandon Marsh would shift over to center field for the majority of his starts. Johan Rojas, who was meant to be the starting center fielder this season, has struggled to hit all year, at one point earning a demotion to Triple-A.
Though the Phillies have plenty of power as a team, most of their home runs have come from lefties. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper alone have combined for 39 dingers, while all the righties combined, in nearly 1800 at-bats, have just 51.
Adding Rooker to the Phillies lineup would be a scary proposition for potential postseason foes. They’d be deeper, more balanced, and more adaptable, with Rojas available as a late-innings defensive replacement and pinch runner.
It’s already unlikely anyone is looking forward to facing these Phillies in October. But if they were to add Rooker, teams around the league might rightfully fear a trip to Philadelphia.
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