A year that started out in borderline disaster for the Philadelphia Phillies ended up being quite successful by the time October came around. The team was seven games under .500 in early June, then won 62% of its games to finish the season (a 100-win pace for a season) to secure a Wild Card spot.
The club dispatched the Miami Marlins in the first round, then took down the Atlanta Braves — the winningest team in baseball in the NLDS. Then came the NLCS. The Phillies entered as favorites against an Arizona Diamondbacks team that had the fewest wins of any MLB playoff team this year. The Phillies held leads of 2-0 and 3-2 against the Diamondbacks and even had a run differential of +9 in the series but could not close Games 6 or 7.
While the Phillies were denied a second consecutive World Series appearance, they still enter 2024 with a strong squad that is built to win in the playoffs. Here are two moves the Phillies should make this offseason to strengthen the team for next year.
Sign free agent Matt Chapman
Philadelphia's love-hate relationship with Alec Bohm continued in 2023. Bohm had a career-high 20 home runs, 97 RBI, and an OPS of .765 while ranking in the 92nd percentile in expected batting average.
Yet Bohm was still a defensive liability. He was worth -9 defensive runs saved above average in just 90 games at the hot corner in 2023 and ranked in the 11th percentile in outs above average. Bohm finished the year with a WAR of 0.5 — not the type of play you would expect from the third baseman on a World Series contender. Backup Edmundo Sosa was a better defender but did not possess Bohm's bat, hitting .251 on the year but recording 74 strikeouts to just eight walks across 300 plate appearances.
The Phillies need an all-around third baseman, and the best free agent available is Matt Chapman. Chapman finished with 11 defensive runs saved above average last year and was second in MLB in hard-hit percentage (trailing only Aaron Judge). The 30-year-old is a perennial Gold Glove candidate who would help shore up a Phillies defense that finished with -27 defensive runs saved above average — fifth-worst in MLB.
Philadelphia gave Alec Bohm three full seasons to improve defensively at third base and even tried him at first base this year in an attempt to get his bat in the lineup. But without any improvement with the glove, Bohm is now redundant in Philly.
Add defensive versatility in the outfield
As previously mentioned, the Phillies' biggest weakness is defense. The biggest culprits were in the outfield. Kyle Schwarber was worth -20 defensive runs saved above average in just 103 games in left field, second-worst in all of baseball. Right fielder Nick Castellanos was slightly better, only costing the team eight runs with his fielding. The addition of another outfielder allows Schwarber to shift to the designated hitter spot full-time and hides one of the biggest defensive liabilities in baseball.
Fortunately for the Phillies, a number of top defensive outfielders are available as free agents this winter. Kevin Kiermaier is coming off his fourth career Gold Glove with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023, ranking in the 96th percentile among all MLB players in fielding run value.
Philadelphia could also pursue Harrison Bader. Bader struggled with injuries in 2023, batting just .232 with an OPS of .622 in 98 games for the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds. The centerfielder ranked in the 95th percentile this past season in outs above average, 82nd percentile in arm value, and 91st percentile in arm strength.
Brandon Marsh was solid defensively in centerfield for the Phillies in 2023, but he has the flexibility to play in left or right field, allowing the club to bring in a Gold Glove-level centerfielder and improve a team that was one of the worst in the league defensively last season.
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