The Philadelphia Phillies are hunting for outfield help this winter, and while the free agent market isn’t exactly loaded with stars, there are some intriguing names floating around both domestically and internationally.
The team’s first priority seems to be figuring out what happens with designated hitter Kyle Schwarber. If he walks, they could make a serious push for Kyle Tucker from the Cubs. But if that doesn’t work out, Phillies Nation’s Destiny Lugardo thinks Michael Conforto might be worth considering as a fallback option.
Now, this isn’t exactly the kind of signing that gets fans excited.
Lugardo acknowledges what everyone saw with the Dodgers last season – Conforto was pretty terrible. He hit below the Mendoza Line and didn’t make it onto any of LA’s postseason rosters despite earning $17 million. That’s not a great look for a guy hoping to land another decent contract.
The writer also gets that Phillies fans wouldn’t exactly be thrilled with this move.
“Does a left-handed-hitting corner outfielder who had by far the worst year of his career in 2025 do anything for you? No? That’s understandable, but this is the kind of uninspiring free agent market the Phillies are probably shopping in,” Lugardo wrote.
Here’s the thing about Conforto – he wasn’t always this bad. With the Mets, he was actually one of the better hitting outfielders in baseball before shoulder surgery derailed things in 2022. His two years in San Francisco were solid enough. Then came that disaster season with the Dodgers where he hit .199 with a .637 OPS.
Somehow, he stayed on the roster all season. But when October rolled around? The Dodgers left him off every single playoff roster.
“He can’t be as awful as he was last year,” Lugardo argues. “The Phillies say they’re comfortable with Crawford or Marsh in center. If they can’t find an upgrade in center, I would bet on a Conforto ‘bounce back.’ He has the track record to secure a major league deal, but probably won’t cost much. Everyone will be very upset if the Phillies actually do this.”
That last part is probably the most honest assessment you’ll hear.
The issue with hitters like Conforto is that once confidence goes, it’s incredibly hard to get back. Sure, he could give you 30 homers in his prime, but lately he’s struggling just to make contact. Whatever went wrong in LA – and it’s not entirely clear what that was – it’s dangerous to assume a simple change of scenery fixes everything.
The Phillies have bigger aspirations than betting on a reclamation project who contributed absolutely nothing to a World Series championship. If that’s the route they’re considering, it says more about the state of the free agent market than it does about Conforto’s actual value.
From where I’m sitting, this feels like the kind of move you make when you’ve struck out on your primary targets. Which might be exactly where the Phillies find themselves come spring.
