Phillies fill outfield hole with Kepler but still have work to do

Phillies fill outfield hole with Kepler but still have work to do originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies have addressed their most glaring offseason need but still have work to do in the outfield.

They agreed Thursday night to a one-year contract worth $10 million with left-handed-hitting Max Kepler, according to ESPN. The deal, first reported by MLB.com, is pending a physical.

Kepler was a mainstay in Minnesota for the last decade, debuting with the Twins in 2015. He was already in their outfield mix by the next season and ended up hitting .237/.318/.429 with 161 home runs in 1,072 plate appearances as a Twin.

Kepler, who turns 32 in February, reached free agency after a down year. He missed two weeks in April with a right knee contusion and the final month of the season with patellar tendinitis in the other knee. He would have been much better off reaching the open market a year earlier, after a 2023 in which he hit .260/.332/.484 with 24 home runs. His best season was 2019, when he went deep 36 times with a career-high .855 OPS.

The majority of his playing time and career production has come against right-handed pitching. Kepler owns a .778 OPS vs. righties with 134 of his 161 homers. He’s hit just .221 with a .655 OPS vs. lefties but has been better the last three seasons at .254. That said, the Phillies are unlikely to play him much against lefties and will need platoon partners for both him and Brandon Marsh.

With an outfield of Kepler, Marsh and Nick Castellanos, the decision against a right-handed starting pitcher would be relatively straightforward: Marsh in center with Kepler and Castellanos in the outfield corners. The Phillies will be well set up vs. righties but Kepler and Marsh would both be considered holes when facing a left-handed starting pitcher, particularly a tough lefty.

Johan Rojas could be one of the platoon answers, starting for Marsh in center against a lefty. The left field starting spot against a southpaw will still need to be addressed.

Kepler has historically been a well-above-average defender in right field and should have the inside track to that spot. He has never played left field in his big-league career, with 87% of his career innings coming in right and the rest in center. Castellanos hasn’t played left field since his first month as a Phillie, which will create an interesting dynamic if both are on the roster in spring training.

Castellanos has worked hard daily during spring training and the last three seasons with coach Paco Figueroa to improve his outfield defense but the angles are different from corner to corner. While left field at Citizens Bank Park is one of the easier around the league, it would still be an adjustment.

The Kepler move probably means the Phillies won’t be signing one of the top remaining free-agent outfielders like Teoscar Hernandez or Anthony Santander, but that’s not surprising given what those players are thought to be seeking.

Both of the Phillies’ big moves so far this offseason — Kepler and reliever Jordan Romano — have been one-year deals for players who dealt with injury in 2024. Both had strong years in 2023 with track records longer than that, and the Phils are banking on a return to form. If the signings click, they will have filled their two biggest offseason holes without committing four or five years to both positions and further tying down an inflexible roster. It’s a risk, but so would be signing one of the top free-agent relievers to a $50 million contract or paying Hernandez or Santander more money than they’re worth.