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Could the Philadelphia Phillies be Players for Michael Conforto?

Michael Conforto should see the field before the season ends. Are the Philadelphia Phillies a player to land him?

Author:
Alex Carr
Aug 20, 2022 5:00 PM EDT

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Is this former Met a match for the Philadelphia Phillies?

According to a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post, outfielder Michael Conforto could be swinging the bat for a competing team sometime soon.

"Teams are seeking Michael Conforto’s medicals, and he has a good chance to be ready to hit for a contender in September," Heyman wrote in a piece published on August 18.

2021 proved a tough season for the Mets product. His surface statistics took a dive, and his peripherals didn't scream that he was primed for a bounce back season in 2022 either. However, Conforto was once among the more underrated offensive contributors in all of baseball from 2017-2020. That kind of talent doesn't just disappear overnight.

Conforto made sense for the Phillies as a target this past offseason, but a shoulder injury took the 29-year-old off the market, and was supposedly set to keep him out for the entirety of the 2022 season. However, after he underwent surgery in late April, the lefty bat's recovery proceeded well, and teams began hearing in mid-July from agent Scott Boras that the former All-Star could return prior to the seasons' end.

Seeing as Major League Baseball's trade deadline has passed, Conforto will no longer require the team that signs him to forfeit a draft pick due to his attached qualifying offer. Instead, the outfielder will only cost his pursuers cold hard cash, and thus, he is sure to appeal to a number of contending teams.

Conforto celebrates in the dugout after scoring a run.
© Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports

So, why not the Phillies?

With outfielder Brandon Marsh's recent injury, the Phillies are short a left-handed platoon mate for center fielder Matt Vierling, who has struggled mightily of late. Their recent waiver claim of Bradley Zimmer serves as a placeholder for now, but the Phillies surely wouldn't say no to an upgrade offensively.

Conforto is by no means a good defender in center, but he's seen a solid chunk of innings there at the major league level. From 2016-2019, the former first round pick spent 1,137.1 innings roaming center for New York. He was favored by Outs Above Average, coming in at a replacement-level 0 OAA across those four seasons. However, his Defensive Runs Saved tell a different story, as he racked up a whopping -15 DRS in that same span. Still, Conforto is capable of standing at the position, and also carries a good reputation at both corner outfield spots.

It's important to note that MLB rosters will expand from 26 to 28 players come September, so the Phillies (and any other pursuers) will have a tad more flexibility in terms of shaping their active rosters to accommodate a late addition.

Overall, a pursuit of Michael Conforto presents as a no-risk, high-reward scenario. At worst, a team forks over a prorated salary to add the outfielder, is dissatisfied, and omits him from their playoff roster, or from the team completely. At best, the 29-year-old (who has surely been fully committed to returning to play this season) regains his All-Star-level form and helps prime a team for a postseason run.

It's the kind of no-brainer move that could make the difference between the Phillies securing the second or third Wild Card spot, and the Phillies just falling short of the postseason for a eleventh straight year. What do they have to lose?