Philadelphia Phillies Should Claim Yankees Star on Waivers

The Philadelphia Phillies can add to their outfield by claiming former New York Yankees star off of waivers.

It has been an exciting time for the Philadelphia Phillies with their offense getting hot at the perfect time late in the season. Entering Tuesday, they sit comfortably on top of the NL Wild Card standings with their best players in the lineup performing up to expectations.

Going all the way back to the trade deadline in July, it was a shock that the Phillies didn't add any outfield help considering how poor their defense had been.

Instead, Dave Dombrowksi added starting pitching help in Michael Lorenzen and infield utilityman Rodolfo Castro.

One of the players that Philadelphia was reportedly targeting at the deadline was New York Yankees outfielder Harrison Bader. They ultimately decided not to give up assets to acquire any outfield help.

Now, they don't have to. The Yankees put Bader on waivers Tuesday reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan, meaning that he is free to sign with any team on Thursday and will be postseason eligible.

Adding outfielders doesn't seem like the most pressing issue anymore with the sold play of Johan Rojas. However, rotational outfielder Christian Pache is still recovering from an injury which has forced manager Rob Thomson to play Kyle Schwarber in left field more often.

Bader would create more options in the outfield and improve the defense when in the field. He also brings an element of speed on the bases and could be used in pinch run situations.

Being able to bring in an outfielder without having to give up assets is an ideal situation for the Phillies as they gear up for another deep postseason run.