The Philadelphia Phillies are reportedly talking to the Toronto Blue Jays about veteran outfielder Curtis Granderson, sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic on Monday.
Philadelphia apparently views Granderson as a potentially productive left-handed bat off the bench down the stretch run who could also start in the outfield on occasion. There's a sudden need for an additional outfielder on the team's bench, as struggling outfielder Aaron Altherr was optioned to Triple-A on Sunday.
Besides his natural fit on the roster as a player, the 37-year-old Granderson would also bring his sterling reputation as a veteran leader to a young Phillies clubhouse that's experiencing a pennant race for the first time.
Granderson joined the Blue Jays during the offseason, following his unproductive late-season stint with the NL champion Dodgers one year ago. He's turned in a solid first half for the Canadian club, hitting .230/.337/.417 with nine homers and 15 doubles over 81 games while spending time at all three outfield positions.
The majority of his plate appearances this year have come against right-handed pitching, and Granderson's excelled in this platoon role. He'd fill a major need for the Phillies in this sense, as manager Gabe Kapler currently lacks a left-handed bench bat beyond rookie Mitch Walding, who's gone hitless in his first 14 big-league plate appearances.
Granderson's 2018 splits
| vs. Pitcher | PA | BA/OBP/SLG | HR | XBH | BB/K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. RHP | 251 | .240/.343/.438 | 9 | 15 | 32/70 |
| vs. LHP | 23 | .111/.273/.167 | 0 | 1 | 3/11 |
Granderson is earning $5 million this season.
