Philadelphia Phillies Likely to Avoid 'Big Acquisition' to Replace Harper
The Philadelphia Phillies will be without Bryce Harper's production for the first half of the 2023 MLB season. That is a hole in the lineup that the Phillies would prefer not to have to deal with, but they have done it before. Last season in fact, and they didn't miss a beat.
Philadelphia will have to do it again until the All-Star break, at least. It begs the question: could the Phillies look externally to help replace some of that production?
President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski put that question to bed by saying that the team would not pursue a “big acquisition." Instead, he pointed to internal options such as Rhys Hoskins, Alec Bohm, and J.T. Realmuto to help take over some of the designated hitter duties.
The Phillies will be able to rotate guys in and out of the slot. Between the three mentioned above, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos are great options to take some at-bats as the designated hitter. Couple that with their now great infield depth, and Philadelphia shouldn't have an issue trying to replace Harper's at-bats in the lineup.
Just don't hold your breath for the singing of a big bat. The Phillies are comfortable with the pieces they already have in the building.
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