Arguably the most glaring hole the Philadelphia Phillies have to fill this offseason is in center field. The team has been linked to a variety of names at the position, including Kevin Kiermaier, Bryan Reynolds and even players from other positions who might roam center field from time to time, like Kris Bryant.
NBC Sports Philadelphiaby Jim Salisbury reported early Sunday morning that a new name entered the fold, even if it is not entirely new: Odúbel Herrera.
Salisbury tweeted that there has been “recent contact between [the] two sides” as the Phillies search for their everyday center fielder. Herrera, a free agent, has already spent five seasons with the Phillies — 2015-19 as well as 2021 — hitting .274 with a .751 OPS over that span.
Herrera was suspended for 85 games in 2019 after being arrested for domestic violence. He did not play for the team in 2020.
The Phillies called up Herrera to the Major League club in April last season after some early struggles from several Phillies in the role; he hit .260 with a .726 OPS and 13 homers and had two defensive runs saved in 124 games. As has been the case with him historically, Herrera’s 2021 has been defined in part by the streaks. For example, it reduced 0.167/0.216/0.271 in July before posting a mark of 0.342/0.409/0.634 the following month before finding middle ground in September.
The club turned down Herrera’s $11.5 million club option for 2022 in November, opting instead to pay him a $2.5 million buyout. Herrera elected free agency after being flat out soon after.
It’s unclear just how much traction there is in negotiations between Herrera and the Phillies, and it’s likely that Herrera will be one of many back-up plans in case the team can’t land the one of the most important options she has targeted. Nonetheless, it’s certainly a story to watch as the team looks to the free agent and trade market to fill its vacancy at center field.
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