In the end, Dave Dombrowski said, it came down to rejiggering the balance between leather and lumber in the outfield.
“We felt very comfortable to have a defensive player in center field in either (Johan) Rojas or (Cristian) Pache,” the Phillies’ president of baseball operations said, standing in the press box at Citizens Bank a few hours after Friday’s announcement that Pache and reliever Seranthony Dominguez had been traded to the Orioles for righthanded-hitting 2023 All-Star outfielder Austin Hays.
“But (Brandon) Marsh has not hit lefthanded pitching at all. So all of a sudden we were playing two defensive players against a lefthander, in left field and in center field. And you can get by with that at times. But I think if you’re trying to do a little bit extra, having a guy who can hit lefthanded pitching and hit it pretty well in a big series can be very important.”
Make no mistake. The Phillies have the best record in baseball. So doing a little bit extra, in this context, is a lowkey way of saying World Series or bust. And this deal is designed not only to improve the team’s chances in October, but to increase the probability that they’ll maintain homefield advantage throughout once they get there.
Dombrowski also said plainly that he still hopes to add to the bullpen before the trade clock figuratively strikes midnight at literally 6 p.m. om Tuesday. “We still have a little bit of bullpen depth. . . (but) people keep asking and we’ll still be looking to acquire bullpen (help),” he said.
Manager Rob Thomson has insisted all season that he believes Marsh has the ability to be an everyday player. But the hard reality is that he’s gotten only a limited opportunity (50 at bats) to show what he can do against lefthanders and has hit just .140 in those auditions.
In 72 at bats against lefties this season, Hays batted .328 with a .894 OPS. For his career, he’s a .272 hitter against LHPs with a .791 OPS.
