Philadelphia Phillies Could Pull off Reunion with Former Player at Trade Deadline

Ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline, the Philadelphia Phillies are expected to be buyers and attempt to upgrade their roster as they get ready for their playoff push.

There's been a lot of players rumored to be targets of the Phillies' front office ahead of the August 1st deadline.

MLB.com's Mark Feinsand wrote a piece about the 17 players most likely traded. He links former Philadelphia first basemen, Carlos Santana, as a potential candidate to return back to the City of Brotherly Love.

Santana joined the Phillies in 2018 as a free agent, signing a three-year $60 million deal. He was traded to the Seattle Mariners one season later in return for a package that brought Jean Segura to Philadelphia.

In his singular season with the Phillies, he hit .229/.352/.414 with 24 home runs and 86 RBI.

Now Feinsand has the first baseman coming back to his former team after his first year with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

He wrote, "The 37-year-old veteran has had his ups and downs at the plate this season, but he remains a disciplined hitter with a high walk percentage and low strikeout rate. Since June 14, Santana -- an impending free agent due roughly $2.25 million this season -- has a .753 OPS and remains a solid glove at first base."

In his age 37 season, his hitting numbers with the Pirates are .237/.322/.408 with 11 home runs and 52 RBI.

Despite the solid numbers, veteran presence and good defender at first base, this trade doesn't make a whole lot of sense for Philadelphia.

They just spent time giving Bryce Harper an opportunity to play first base and show that he can be the everyday starter at that position for the rest of the season. This would allow them to move Kyle Schwarber to the full time designated hitter and go after a better outfield defender without sacrificing hitting.

Everything the front office has said so far is their priority is getting an outfielder. It would be surprising if they reversed course for an aging first baseman that isn't a huge need.

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