Phillies 2025 outfield outlook: Free-agent options, prospect forecast, and more

With the book closed on their 2024 season, the Phillies are back to square one in the outfield: still on the hunt for an upgraded right-handed bat.

They tried to fill the void before the season by signing veteran utility player Whit Merrifield, but after he struggled with irregular playing time, the Phillies cut their losses and released him in July. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski then brought in Austin Hays at the trade deadline from the Orioles, but he didn’t pan out as their everyday left fielder.

Part of it was just bad luck. The Phillies couldn’t have anticipated the string of injuries — including a kidney infection — that Hays struggled with after the trade. He never turned into the lefty-killer of the Phillies’ dreams, and was on the bench as Mets lefties José Quintana and David Peterson ended their World Series hopes.

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Hays has a year of arbitration eligibility remaining, but it’s possible the Phillies non-tender him.

While the outside reinforcements turned out to be duds, there was also a lack of in-house improvements. Johan Rojas is an elite center fielder, but his offensive production continues to lag behind. The Phillies hoped he would turn bunting into a big part of his game to help make a difference at the plate, but he only recorded two bunt hits in 16 attempts this season.

They haven’t given up on him improving quite yet — Rojas, 24, is set to live in Clearwater, Fla., this winter to follow a plan tailored toward his offensive development.

Brandon Marsh also didn’t take a step forward against left-handed pitching to cement himself as an everyday player. He slashed .192/.270/.282 in 90 plate appearances against lefties this season, compared to .229/.321/.396 in 110 plate appearances last season. But manager Rob Thomson said he noticed improvements in Marsh’s approach in the final six weeks of the season, which gives him confidence that Marsh can eventually turn a corner.

Nick Castellanos was the only constant, suiting up for all 162 games as the only everyday outfielder on the roster. Castellanos, who is under contract through 2026, was one of the Phillies’ only clutch hitters in the NLDS. But his chase rate of 37.8% in 2024 was sixth-highest among qualified MLB hitters.

At his year-end news conference, Dombrowski pointed to Marsh and Castellanos as two players who are “for sure” part of the Phillies’ outfield equation next season.

“And then we take it from there,” he said.

But where, exactly, will they take it? The Phillies might search for a platoon for Marsh, or could prefer adding an everyday left fielder — the role Hays was intended to fill.

“I don’t think we need to add more star players,” Dombrowski said. “We have more stars than just about anybody in baseball.”

While he went on to clarify that he would be open to signing a star in the right situation, it sure sounds like Juan Soto — the biggest star of this year’s class — may not be a priority. And that was before Soto’s three-run home run on Saturday that sent the Yankees to their first World Series since 2009, which likely drove up his price tag to leave New York even more. Soto does, however, have notable connections to Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long from their shared days in Washington.

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Jurickson Profar could be a fit for the Phillies. The 31-year-old left fielder had a career year for the Padres in 2024, hitting .280/.380/.459 with 24 home runs in 158 regular-season games. Profar, a switch hitter and 2024 All-Star, is disciplined at the plate. He chased just 21.9% of the time this season and had a 16.9% whiff rate, putting him in 90th percentile of major league hitters for both categories. He led the Padres with 76 walks.

Anthony Santander is another switch-hitter who will likely be a top name on the outfield free-agent market. Though Santander, 30, has spent most of his career in right field, he has played all three outfield positions and is coming off a career year with the Orioles with 44 homers and 102 RBIs. Santander certainly wouldn’t help fix the Phillies’ chase problem, however — he swung on pitches out of the zone 33.8% of the time in 2024.

Teoscar Hernández, 32, will be another coveted name as a powerful righty whose 33 home runs for the Dodgers trailed only Shohei Ohtani. And Tyler O’Neill, a 29-year-old left fielder, could be an under-the-radar option. O’Neill had a 3.1 WAR for the Red Sox this season and hit .313 with a 1.179 OPS against left-handed pitching.

Center fielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger has an opt-out in his contract with the Cubs and could decide to test the market, as well.

The Phillies might choose to make a splash on the trade front. Luis Robert Jr. (White Sox) and Brent Rooker (Oakland) were two outfielders linked to the Phillies at the trade deadline, but they were not moved from their clubs.

“I think we just have to be open-minded to exploring what’s out there for us, talk to some clubs and see what ends up happening. That process hasn’t started,” Dombrowski said. “Sometimes you trade good players for good players.”

The Phillies’ No. 3 overall prospect, Justin Crawford, will certainly be part of their long-term plans in the outfield and could be ready as soon as mid-2025.

The center fielder was recently named the Phillies’ minor leaguer of the year for 2024, and he was straightforward about his goals during a visit to Citizens Bank Park in September to receive the award.

“I want to be here next year,” he said.

The jump to double A from high-A is typically considered the most difficult adjustment in the minor leagues, outside of the jump from triple A to the majors. But Crawford’s numbers actually saw an improvement after his promotion in July. In 40 games with double-A Reading, Crawford posted a .333 batting average and ranked second in the Eastern League in hits (55) and stolen bases (15). The 20-year-old lefty is known for his speed and made strides with his line-drive hitting this season.

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“Crawford is coming very fast,” Dombrowski said. “We go into spring training, we’re not going to count on him being one of our big-league starting outfielders. He’s got a lot of ability and wouldn’t surprise me if he came in anytime.”

Gabriel Rincones Jr., a third-round pick in 2022, is ranked the Phillies’ No. 11 prospect. Rincones was hampered by a thumb injury that limited him to 59 games in double A. Rincones, who profiles as a left-handed power bat, primarily played right field and hit .263/.357/.487 with 11 home runs.

Rincones joined top pitching prospect Andrew Painter in the Arizona Fall League this month. He has struggled through his first eight games, going 3-for-23 with a double and a homer.

Looking further into the future, the Phillies added two outfielders to their pipeline in the 2024 draft with first-round pick Dante Nori and second-rounder Griffin Burkholder. Both will be interesting names to watch in their first full seasons in the minors.