As was evident by Max Kepler’s loathsome at bat in the 11th inning of Wednesday’s loss to the Boston Red Sox, the Philadelphia Phillies have major deficiencies in the outfield and they’re targeting a cross-state product to fix the issue.
According to 93.7 The Fan’s Andrew Filliponni, the Phillies are one of the teams talking with the Pittsburgh Pirates about a trade for 2025 Home Run Derby contestant and National League All-Star centerfielder Oneil Cruz.
Despite representing the Buccos in this month’s All-Star Game in Atlanta, the 26-year-old Cruz isn’t exactly having a standout season. Sure, he’s bashed 16 homers with 40 RBI but he’s slashing a measly .219/.319/.419 with a .739 OPS. Those numbers aren’t too far off his career slashline of .242/.316/.441 with a .758 OPS. He does steal some bases though. Cruz has 33 stolen bases to date this season and 68 total steals in 335 career Big-League games.
Cruz could be a different player with a change of scenery and in a lineup featuring Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner. With a little over two-years of service time, Cruz still has three-years of arbitration eligibility and could come relatively cheap from a dollar and cents standpoint. However, because he’s cheaper than some other trade options, Cruz would likely cost the Phillies a good amount of prospects.
Anyway, that’s the latest rumor. The 2025 MLB trade deadline is set for Thursday, July 31 at 6:00 PM/EDT.