JUST IN: Phillies GM Rob Thomson provide important updates on Former Braves’ Outfielder

The Philadelphia Phillies are probably going back to their regular schedule after making a brief diversion in the summer to pursue Yoshinobu Yamamoto and allegedly make an offer that would put them well over the luxury tax threshold.

That would be to focus on a few depth players for their bullpen and outfield.

Dave Dombrowski stated that Johan Rojas, their young center fielder, will not be handed the starting slot out of the blue going into 2024; rather, he will need to earn it.

 

Even though he played excellent defense, his subpar offense in the postseason was a burden.

Thus, the Phillies might target Eddie Rosario, a former outfielder for the Atlanta Braves, their division opponent, if they’re searching for a less expensive option that would help their outfield unit.

 

The Braves acquired the 31-year-old during the 2021 trade deadline. With 33 regular season appearances, he slashed.271/.330/.573, seven home runs, and sixteen RBI. He was a huge sparkplug on their World Series-winning run. In the postseason, he elevated his game even further, with an incredible slash line of.383/.456/.617 with three home runs, eleven RBI, and the NLCS MVP title.

Rosario had a terrible year in 2022 due to an eye condition that necessitated surgery, and he never quite recovered to the level of success he had in the 2021 season. Atlanta rejected his club option after 2023.

But perhaps next season, he can prove to be a valuable asset for Philadelphia.

The Phillies may use his skills as a corner outfielder, particularly if they decide not to start Rojas in center field early in the season. Then, Brandon Marsh would probably shift to center field, and they would need to find a left-handed player in addition to Jake Cave, Cristian Pache, or Kyle Schwarber.

It’s also a boost to have another option off the bench who has a playoff production history, especially in light of Nick Castellanos’ recent problems.

The best thing is that Spotrac estimates Rosario will only get a contract for about $6.5 million. To add a player to the squad who was named NLCS MVP three seasons ago would be extremely inexpensive.