The Philadelphia Phillies are in desperate need of more offensive production this season, as only Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Brandon Marsh have consistently provided positive value at the plate.
With the club’s top offensive contributors all batting left-handed, adding a right-handed power hitter is expected to be a major priority for Philadelphia ahead of this year’s MLB trade deadline.
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report, amid such a clear need for the Phillies, linked them to a trade with an .812 OPS righty-hitting outfielder from the Chicago Cubs in Seiya Suzuki, who would be an ideal pickup for Philadelphia this trade deadline.
Phillies to trade for Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki
“RF Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs… Other Landing Spots: Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds,” Rymer writes.
With the Cubs potentially looking to shake their roster up this season amid some offensive woes, they could entertain a Suzuki trade if it means adding pitching talent.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic presented Suzuki as a trade chip for the Cubs recently, and from the Phillies’ perspective, he might be the ideal deadline target this summer.
He’s a rental, so even though he’s a good outfielder with an .812 career OPS, he might not cost too much in a trade. Add in that he’s a right-handed hitting outfielder who would be just what this team needs, and he makes a lot of sense as a trade fit.
Marsh has been great, and should be starting every day. But Adolis Garcia is hurt and might miss some time, and Justin Crawford hasn’t exactly been great for the Phillies this season.
Dave Dombrowski should be looking to improve their outfield, and someone like Suzuki, who has a 753 OPS this season with a .248 batting average and 10 homers in 55 games and 202 at-bats, would be a great option in the trade market.
While the Phillies would have to part with some decent prospects in return for Suzuki, with their dire need for right-handed hitting outfielders, even after the Derek Hill trade, adding this Cubs outfielder in a deadline deal would be a big win for the Phillies.
