It wasn’t the offensive upgrade Philadelphia Phillies fans expected this offseason.
The Phillies signed former Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler to a one-year, $10 million deal. Despite never playing the position, he’ll be the everyday left fielder, with Brandon Marsh shifting back to center field.
The move raised eyebrows among the fanbase for good reason. Kepler, like Marsh, is a left-handed bat who feasts on righties but struggles against southpaws. He’s also not the power-hitting outfielder the Phillies reportedly coveted this winter.
Kepler’s 2024 numbers tell a sobering story: a career-worst .682 OPS, 91 OPS+, and just eight homers in 105 games before a knee injury derailed his season in September.
“He’s a bounce-back candidate at this stage of his career,” reports The Athletic’s Aaron Freeman. “The Phillies are betting on rediscovering the second-half 2023 version of Kepler that posted a 149 OPS+ in 66 games, rather than the 2023 (91 OPS+), first-half 2023 (86 OPS+), 2022 (92 OPS+), and 2021 (98 OPS+) versions that were each below average offensively and prone to missing time with nagging injuries.”
The track record isn’t exactly encouraging. In his decade with the Twins, Kepler posted six full seasons with an OPS+ below 98. His best season came in 2019, when he hit 36 homers, with an .855 OPS and 123 OPS+.
With Philadelphia likely done shopping for offensive help in free agency, one MLB insider is pushing for a more dramatic solution.
