Phillies negotiate with Rays over Kevin Kiermaier
The Philadelphia Phillies are desperate for a center fielder.
Last year the squad used players like Odubel Herrera, Roman Quinn and Travis Jankowski. We will tell ourselves that these players are not the caliber of Bryce Harper, say.
Kevin Kiermaier, too, is nowhere near the same level as Bryce Harper, but he’s still the best defensive center in the league. It is for this reason, among others, that Philadelphia would like to acquire its services.
He’s not a free agent, but his $ 12 million salary is a lot for a team like the Rays. Kiermaier has been in trade rumors for a long time and the Phillies are said to be aggressive on his record.
KK is still under contract for a season after 2022. He will therefore become a free agent for the 2024 season. Philadelphia could use this contract to build a very solid outfield for the next few years. Although he’s been awful at bat in the last few years, the Rays outfielder didn’t do badly last year. He maintained a batting average of .249 and was hitting the trails more than three out of ten.
When he goes on base, he’s a goal stealing threat, too.
Currently, the market for free agents in this position is not overflowing with talent. There’s Kris Bryant, but again, center fielder isn’t his natural position. Besides KB, there is Albert Almora Jr. and other bench players like Jarrod Dyson, Leury Garcia and Brett Gardner, who however will not sign elsewhere than in New York.
The option of acquiring Kiermaier is much more attractive than acquiring one of these …
In addition to wanting to get their hands on the Rays player, the Phillies would be interested in Kyle Schwarber.
They really want an outfielder.
