The Philadelphia Phillies missed out on Kyle Tucker, but could Tucker’s new home provide the team the bat they crave and give them an out for a player they wish to trade away?
Most Major League Baseball followers figured more moves were on the way when the Chicago Cubs acquired Tucker from the Houston Astros. Tucker made the Cubs’ already glutted outfield even more so, and further deals were likely.
One of those deals came down Tuesday when Chicago dealt Cody Bellinger to the Yankees. However, the Cubs still have four starting outfielders for three slots.
In a perfect world, Chicago would play an outfield of Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Tucker in the outfield with Seiya Suzuki serving as full-time designated hitter.
However, Suzuki reportedly has frowned at the notion of being just a DH. That report has opened the door for him to still find his way out of Wrigley Field this winter.
And the Cubs’ loss could be the Phillies’ gain.
Nathan Ackerman of Phillies Nation muses that Suzuki could be just the kind of player Philadelphia could use — and even better, the Cubs need a third baseman after sending Isaac Paredes to Houston in the Tucker deal.
Enter Alec Bohm.
Philadelphia craves a deal that sends Bohm elsewhere, and the Cubs’ recent trades have opened the door to that being the north side of Chicago.
Ackerman proposes sending Bohm along with pitching prospects Seth Johnson and Max Lazar to the Cubs for the services of Suzuki.
“He’s exactly what the Phillies need. He hits for power from the right side. He hits for average. He’s a corner outfielder,” Ackerman wrote.
Suzuki, who has hit .278 with 55 home runs and 193 RBI in three big-league seasons, has been a consistent source of offense since coming over from Japan. He would serve the boom-or-bust Philadelphia lineup well