Phillies Blockbuster Trade Idea Ships $3 Million Outfielder To Needy Royals
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Every Kansas City Royals fan is well aware at this point that their favorite team has a rough outfield depth chart.
Every other Major League Baseball team's outfielders have at least seven home runs, but the Royals' somehow only have three. Their only reliable contributor has been right fielder Drew Waters, who began the year in Triple-A and didn't project to be an important piece of this year's club.
At some point, the Royals are simply going to have to make a move to upgrade their outfield. But this early in the season, with three months to go before the trade deadline, it's hard to project which players might be available.
However, as one baseball writer explains, the Royals might not have to look to the obvious sellers to find a quality outfield bat.
On Tuesday, FanSided's Christopher Kline named Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh as a potential trade candidate at this year's deadline, and also identified the Royals as one of Marsh's possible suitors.
"(Phillies president of baseball operations) 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.
"With two years of arbitration left on his contract and a mostly solid track record of production, 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... could look to the Phillies' most bearded man (and his $3 million salary) as a quick fix."
Marsh, 27, was off to a dreadful 4-for-42 start to the season and is currently on the injured list with a hamstring strain. But he owns a 115 OPS+ in parts of four seasons with the Phillies, and he's particularly deadly against right-handed pitching, which the Royals currently struggle with.
If it wouldn't cost all that much to get him, why shouldn't the Royals take a shot at acquiring Marsh for two-and-a-half years?
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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