MIAMI — The Phillies were known to be looking for a right-handed-hitting corner outfielder but did not add one ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline for a few different reasons.
For one, it was a seller's market that didn't include many outfielders, period. Rentals that changed teams included Randal Grichuk (Rockies to Angels), Mark Canha (Mets to Brewers) and Tommy Pham (Mets to Diamondbacks).
They like what they've seen from rookie center fielder Johan Rojas, and also have Cristian Pache coming back soon from surgery that removed a loose screw in his elbow.
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And they were focused on adding pitching depth, which they did by acquiring right-handed starter Michael Lorenzen from the Detroit Tigers for second-base prospect Hao-Yu Lee.
The Phillies made one other acquisition just before the deadline, sending left-hander Bailey Falter to the Pirates for utilityman Rodolfo Castro. The 24-year-old Castro has more pop than most utilitymen with 22 home runs in 585 big-league plate appearances. He is a switch-hitter and can't become a free agent until after the 2028 season.
"Well, there were not a lot of right-handed-hitting outfielders that moved," president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said 20 minutes after the deadline passed. "It was an interest. But we also asked ourselves a couple of things in that regard. First and foremost, the pitching was the priority for us. We really wanted to get pitching depth because we were concerned about the depth of our organization if something would happen over the next couple of months.
"From the right-handed-hitting perspective, we talked long and hard. We really liked the job that Rojas has done for us. He's a young kid coming up that's given us energy. We like him. His defense is outstanding. His speed is good. He's felt comfortable at the big-league level. We often asked ourselves: Do we feel like he's overwhelmed? The answer kept coming back.
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"Not that we didn't inquire. But there were very few guys that were available and some of the prices we just didn't want to pay based upon how we felt about him. We do have Pache coming back shortly too — he hits left-handed pitching very well."
Manager Rob Thomson was unsure Monday night whether he'd start Rojas Tuesday against right-hander Sandy Alcantara but went with him again in center. His defense has made a difference and he hasn't looked overmatched just yet at the plate.
The Phillies received trade inquiries about Rojas but love his potential.
"It's not somebody that we ever came close to trading," Dombrowski said. "We really don't want to trade him. We think he has a chance to be a star. He's not intimidated coming to the big-league level, as you can see. I'm not sure if his time to be a star is yet, but he can contribute.
"As we know, speed makes a great difference in today's game when he's playing and you have he and Brandon Marsh and Trea Turner and Bryson Stott and J.T. behind the plate. We're a little bit different club then we've been in the past. We've got a speed-oriented club. I mean, again, the top of our order, there's a very deep lineup from an offensive perspective. We think we'll have enough there. But yes, Rojas was asked about a great deal and he's not somebody we contemplated or came close to trading."
Castro will fill the role vacated by Josh Harrison, who was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Lorenzen. When the Phillies add Castro to the 40-man roster, they'll have to lose another player. They'll also have to trim a pitcher from the active roster because Lorenzen can't simply take Harrison's place — MLB rules stipulate that teams must carry 13 pitchers and 13 position players.
Designating Dylan Covey for assignment would open spots on the 40-man and 26-man rosters. The Phillies are going to a six-man rotation for the next two weeks, which reduces the need for a long reliever they were barely using anyway.
However, teams are so overly protective of any pitcher with stamina these days that they could also keep Covey around and option Yunior Marte to Triple A. Stay tuned on that front.
"We've seen him a lot in spring training at various times. Castro can really swing the bat," Dombrowski said. "He's got good tools. He's a young player. He's got thump in his bat from the right-hand side. He hit 23 home runs last year (11 in the majors). He's a switch-hitter, better right-handed hitter than left-handed hitter. We think he gives us some pop from the right hand side.
"We love Josh. It really was just an unusual situation. He didn't get much playing time with us. With that, there wasn't as much production, but a tremendous individual. We just think that with Castro, we like his overall ability and we think he's going to be a good player in the future. He has a chance to actually be an everyday player. I don't think that necessarily fits for us where we are right now but he's a good player who can contribute to us right now vs. a tough left-handed pitcher."