It's been a topsy-turvy start to the season for the Philadelphia Phillies, but storylines mean more than wins and losses at this point in the season.
For the 16-13 Phillies, a familiar problem seems to be cropping up. The Philadelphia outfield has been abysmal, with their center fielders headlining the issue with -0.2 fWAR, which is third-worst among all teams in baseball, per Fangraphs.
Brandon Marsh, a Phillies fan favorite, got off to a slow start to the season before landing on the injured list. And now that he's in his fourth season with the Phillies, it's getting harder to project that Marsh will ever develop into much more than a platoon player.
Granted, Marsh seems to always be able to hit right-handed pitching, which is where he derives most of his value. But would he be more valuable to this team as a trade chip this summer than he would be as a platoon center fielder?
Christopher Kline of FanSided believes so. On Monday, Kline wrote that fans shouldn't be surprised if Marsh is traded this summer as part of a larger overhaul to improve the center field position.
"Dave Dombrowski has to find ways to improve the back half of the lineup and reinvigorate a struggling bullpen. Marsh feels like a logical bargaining chip once the deadline rolls around," Kline wrote.
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"With two years of arbitration left on his contract... Marsh should have some trade value. The Phillies aren't going to cash in for a top prospect, but cheap teams lacking in outfield depth, such as Kansas City, Minnesota or Pittsburgh, could look to the Phillies' most bearded man (and his $3 million salary) as a quick fix."
Marsh, 27, was 4-for-42 this season (.095 AVG) before hitting the IL with a strained right hamstring, and then had a cramp that paused his rehab at the end of last week.
But if he comes back healthy, he should be appealing enough as a trade target, especially with a $3 million salary and team control for 2026 and 2027. That doesn't mean he will certainly get traded, but it's a scenario that makes sense if the Phillies hone in on a bigger star at the position.
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