The Phillies Should Buy This Fantasy Baseball Breakout to Replace Adolis Garcia
The Philadelphia Phillies received very bad news a matter of days ago. Adolis Garcia tore his latissimus dorsi (lat) muscle and has been placed on the 60-day IL. Down an outfielder, the team was forced to call up prospect Gabriel Rincones Jr. as the team searches for its full-time replacement for Garcia.
It just so happens that hours west of Philadelphia, a trade target may be arising ahead of the August 3 trade deadline.
The Cincinnati Reds signed JJ Bleday to a 1-year contract worth a mere $1.4 million. He is paying huge dividends for the team with a .272 batting average and .953 OPS, as of June 15. Yet the Reds are struggling, standing last in the NL Central. As supply and demand go, the Reds may become more and more willing to trade Bleday to a team in need, such as the Phillies.
Fantasy Baseball Impact
Bleday is a versatile fielder who can play left, right, or center field upon demand. In this trade scenario, Bleday would replace Garcia in right field, playing ahead of Rincones Jr.
The role will be every day for Bleday. He has a .367 on-base percentage and a .586 slugging percentage. The odds of Bleday starting every day are near 100%, and the odds of him batting in the top-6 of the lineup are also very likely.
Bleday trumps both Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm in on-base percentage. He is also just ahead of Brandon Marsh, who bats 4th. The likely scenario for Bleday would be that he bats 5th or 6th in this trade hypothetical.
The main factor in Bleday's fantasy baseball value is his supporting cast. The more that the bats in front of and behind him can put out, the more Bleday can score runs and RBI's in higher-leverage situations.
Unfortunately, this trade scenario will not upgrade Bleday. The Reds are struggling as baseball's 23rd-ranked offense, per Fangraphs. The Phillies are worse, ranking 29th in the MLB. Bleday is the OF54 in FantasyPros Rest of Season Rankings, and around there is where Bleday would remain. Is very much a worthwhile player to own in fantasy baseball and a weekly/daily start 'em, sit 'em.
Mock Trade Details
Phillies Get:
- OF, JJ Bleday
Reds Get:
- SP, Jean Cabrera (Team Prospect No. 13)
- OF, Devin Saltiban (Team Prospect No. 20)
Why the Phillies Say Yes
Despite struggling bats, the Phillies still have World Series aspirations. The team is 39-33 as of June 15 and the No. 2 Wild Card team in the current NL Playoff Picture. The team must keep on the gas and make supplemental move(s) ahead of the August 3 deadline to become more and more competitive as October approaches.
Bleday will replace Garcia, who has actually struggled quite a bit in the midst of being a high-upside offseason addition. He will upgrade the position in this way, and by a long shot. Bleday's batting average is nearly 50% higher than Garcia's.
Why the Reds Say Yes
Return on investment. The Reds added Bleday for an exceptionally low price of $1.4 million. What are the returns?
The current returns are those of a prime hitter. However, that pays the Reds very little if they can't make the playoffs, and they are 3.0 games outside the Wild Card race. The best way for the Reds to maximize their returns is to sell Bleday and receive 2 top-20 prospects in return. That is a massive return for a player who costs less than many bench players do annually.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.