Phillies

Report: The Phillies Are Interested in Curtis Granderson

By Bob Wankel

Published: Jul 23rd, 2018 · 10:55 AM EDT

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With the struggling Aaron Altherr now in Lehigh Valley for the foreseeable future and without a serviceable outfield replacement currently on the 40-man roster, the Phillies are reportedly interested in acquiring Toronto’s Curtis Granderson, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal:

#Phillies talking to #BlueJays about Granderson, sources tell The Athletic. PHI looking for left-handed bat off bench and occasional starter in OF. Demoted fourth outfielder Altherr to AAA last night. Granderson .230/.337/.417 in 274 plate appearances this season.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 23, 2018

Other bench bats #Phillies figure to explore in addition to Granderson: Asdrubal Cabrera, Derek Dietrich, possibly Eduardo Escobar in more of an everyday role. @MattGelb noted interest in Cabrera last week.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 23, 2018

Granderson, though certainly well past his prime, would be a significant addition to a bench that is currently comprised of Jesmuel Valentin, Trevor Plouffe, Mitch Walding, and a backup catcher. Then again, pretty much anybody would help at this point.

The 37-year-old Granderson, who is signed through the remainder of this season on a one-year deal worth $5 million, has posted respectable .754 OPS this season. Also of note, he has appeared in 57 career postseason games with seven different playoff teams and would bring some much-needed big-game experience to the Phillies’ roster.

Yeah, I know. The Phillies still need to upgrade a shaky lineup and could also use another bullpen piece. No doubt. But Granderson and his 91 home runs since the start of the 2015 season would undoubtedly provide a boost.

For those wondering about Dylan Cozens and Roman Quinn, neither are particularly attractive options at the moment. Cozens has struck out in 105 of his 228 plate appearances (46% K rate) between Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia this season. To put that into perspective, his K% is far worse than that of Baltimore’s Chris Davis, whose 36.4 K% is worst among all qualified Major League batters. Quinn, meanwhile, just began a rehab assignment as he continues to work his way back from a torn ligament in his right middle finger.