Breaking: Philadelphia Phillies made Chicago White Sox outfielder a main trade target.

Jim Bowden, the former general manager of the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals, stated on MLB Network Radio that he has been informed by several officials that the Philadelphia Phillies’ primary goal in trade talks to far is an outfield upgrade.

With their three starting outfielders right now, the Phillies are in a bit of a hazy situation despite having an MLB-best 41-18 record.

With less than two months until the July 30 trade deadline, it is therefore not shocking to learn that Dave Dombrowski, president of baseball operations for the Phillies, is beginning to gain a sense for the outfield market. What will happen to Castellanos, Rojas, and Marsh if the Phillies upgrade is the question.

That probably depends on how much the Phillies add in the end, assuming they do sign an outfielder.

For example, they may acquire Washington Nationals player Lane Thomas, who would replace Marsh in the lineup against left-handed pitching. This would provide manager Rob Thomson with a left-field option in case the team chooses to deploy Marsh in center field instead of Rojas. That would basically be an upgrade above Cristian Pache and more of a small enhancement.

However, the Phillies’ window will never be wider than it is right now, with a core of players primarily in their early 30s with the best record in baseball; this doesn’t seem like the summer to make small adjustments. So maybe there may be a bigger addition after all.

It’s difficult to see Castellanos going through any significant changes from this point on during the season. For now, all the Phillies can do is hope he gets hot. Furthermore, even though his May OPS of.706 isn’t particularly good, it’s better than his April OPS of.501.

The next thing they could do is try to sign a guy similar to Boston Red Sox pitcher Tyler O’Neill, believing that he will play left field full-time while Marsh and Rojas platoon in center field based on the opposing team’s pitcher. O’Neill, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, is hitting.843 this season with 11 home runs. The 28-year-old’s sole problem has been maintaining his health; as a result, he is presently listed as injured due to inflammation in his right knee. However, the asking price would probably not be too high for O’Neill to accept as a rental.

The all-in strategy would resemble the discussion on the most recent episode of The Phillies Show featuring Jim Salisbury, Todd Zolecki, and Ruben Amaro Jr.; trade for a manageable outfielder such as Chicago White Sox’s Luis Robert.

Robert is now on a rehab assignment after missing the majority of the season due to a right hip flexor strain. If he can demonstrate that he is healthy, he would provide the Phillies with a significant upgrade in center field. Robert had a 4.9 WAR, 38 home runs, 80 RBIs, 20 stolen bases, six defensive runs saved, and a.264 average the previous season. Robert would add even another star to a Phillies team already full of them. Furthermore, he is only 26 years old in this instance. In addition, he has a $15 million contract for the upcoming season, with reasonable $20 million club options for 2026 and 2027.

Of course, it would mean losing a substantial amount of money to trade for someone like Robert. It would seem that No. 1 overall prospect Andrew Painter, who is sidelined for the season due to Tommy John surgery, would not be considered. However, the White Sox would be interested in first-round choices Aidan Miller, Justin Crawford, and RHP Mick Abel. So would a few of the system’s rising talents, such George Klassen, a reliever, and shortstop Starlyn Caba. In such a scenario, Rojas most likely would have moved as well.

This summer, Dombrowski will have to strike a balance between wanting to ensure that this chapter of Phillies baseball history concludes with at least one World Series victory and not wanting to leave the cupboard empty. It’s difficult to believe that the latter won’t, in part, come first.