The Philadelphia Phillies need an outfielder before this year’s trade deadline, and it’s not hard to figure out why.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden reported Thursday that the Phillies are actively looking to add outfield help after Adolis Garcia went down with what could be a season-ending injury.
Garcia tore his latissimus dorsi muscle, which puts the Phillies in a tough spot with just weeks until the deadline.
Now, Phillies fans know exactly where their minds are going with this news. But let’s pump the brakes on the Mike Trout reunion dreams.
“Acquiring another outfielder is the Phillies’ top priority after the significant injury to Adolis García. Although fans would love to see a Mike Trout trade, that seems extremely unlikely at this point due to his contract and the historical unwillingness of Angels ownership to trade their superstars.”
It’s easy to see why Phillies fans keep hoping. Trout’s from Millville, New Jersey and grew up rooting for the team. A homecoming story writes itself.
But here’s the thing – getting Trout out of Anaheim has always been a fantasy more than a realistic possibility.
The Angels just don’t trade their franchise players, and Trout’s shown nothing but loyalty to the organization despite their ongoing struggles to build a winner around him.
What makes this even more interesting is that Trout’s actually having a solid bounce-back year. He’s hitting .234/.394/.472 with 17 home runs and a .866 OPS.
Those aren’t his peak numbers, but for a three-time AL MVP who’s dealt with injuries in recent seasons, it’s encouraging production.
The way I see it, the Phillies are going to have to get creative with their outfield search. They’ve got the pieces to make a competitive offer for someone, but Trout remains what he’s always been for Philadelphia – the one that got away.
So far this season, the Phillies have shown they’re serious about making another playoff push. Adding the right outfielder could be the move that puts them over the top, even if it’s not the hometown hero everyone’s dreaming about.
