Apr 8, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Houston Astros center fielder Jake Meyers (6) catches a line drive against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
You'd have to have been living in a bunker somewhere for the past few months if you didn't already know the Phillies are looking for an offseason upgrade in center field.
They aren't alone in that pursuit either. Several teams need to bolster the position. The Mets, Royals, Diamondbacks and Orioles are also in the market for a center fielder.
The Rays were until yesterday, when they agreed to a one-year, $7 million deal with Cedric Mullins.
As has been reported many times, the center field market is slim pickings. Harrison Bader, who the Phillies are interested in bringing back after acquiring him at the trade deadline last season, is probably the best offensive player available at the position in free agency. And that's only because of the season he put together in 2025, where between the Minnesota Twins and the Phillies he slashed .277/.347/.449 (.796 OPS) with 17 homers and 54 RBIs in 146 games and 501 plate appearances.
Each one of those stats individually were career highs for Bader.
After him, the free agency class of centerfielders falls off a cliff.
Does J.J. Bleday excite you? How about Garrett Hampson?
GARRETT HAMPSON OVERRUNS THIRD BASE AND DANSBY SWANSON TAGS HIM OUT TO END THE GAME AND SECURE A CUBS WIN OVER THE DIAMONDBACKS 4-3 pic.twitter.com/zCbm1L7oIV
Yeah, it's uninspiring.
I know what you're thinking - what about Cody Bellinger? He can still play center field and is a better hitter than Bader. True. And while he's still a very good defensive outfielder in the corner spots, his defense has fallen off in center and it's fair to wonder if it would only deteriorate more if he was playing there regularly, which he hasn't in a couple seasons. Plus he's left-handed. That's not to say the Phillies next center fielder has to be right-handed, but there needs to be righty slug in the mix somewhere in the Phillies lineup, and taking up another middle-of-the-order spot with another left-hander doesn't make sense, unless you don't re-sign Kyle Schwarber.
And then there's Justin Crawford, who, by all indications, appears to be poised to have a role in the Phillies outfield next season, but there seems to be debate as to whether he's a center fielder in the majors or he's better suited to play left field.
And there are some clues indicating which way they could be leaning in that regard.
If the Phillies are having that debate internally coupled with them having publicly expressed an interest in bringing back Bader, it wouldn't be reckless speculation to say that Crawford is probably viewed more as a left fielder in 2026 than a center fielder.
That leaves just the trade market for the Phillies for center field.
Luis Robert Jr. has been talked about ad nauseam, and it's a wonder if the Chicago White Sox will ever trade him. Boston has a glut of outfielders and someone has to be moved. Jarren Duran makes the most sense, but apparently the asking price for him is outrageous.
Byron Buxton is a name that has come up since the end of the season, but there's a lot of risk trading for him because of his injury history. Plus, there's no guarantee he'll waive his no-trade clause.
But there is one name that has come up in trade chatter a bunch in the past few weeks that has been linked to the Phillies and that's Houston center fielder Jake Meyers.
The most recent report came from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo.
It said the following:
The Astros are open to moving him for a controllable major-league starter, according to people briefed on their discussions. And the interest in Meyers entering his age-30 campaign is considerable, other clubs say.
The Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and Rays are among the teams exploring upgrades in center field, along with the Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals. Meyers is an excellent defender. But if the Astros are skeptical of him replicating his offensive performance, they perhaps could get similar production from Zach Cole and/or Jacob Melton.
As mentioned earlier, you can take the Rays out of that mix, as that story was published before the Mullins signing, but it's not the first time The Athletic hinted at this.
Matt Gelb made mention of Meyers as a name the Phillies could be interested in when he was out in Las Vegas for the G.M.'s meetings last month.
He wrote:
One name to file away: Astros center fielder Jake Meyers, a righty hitter, who might be squeezed out of Houston’s outfield plan. Meyers, considered a strong defender, does not hit for power. But he could be a decent alternative to Harrison Bader — if he lands elsewhere. Houston is fielding calls on Meyers.
So what of Meyers?
Well, he'll turn 30 next June and has two more years of control. His expected salary (he's arbitration eligible) for 2026 is $3.5 million, according to MLB Trade Rumors' projection model. So, he's very affordable.
JAKE MEYERS WOW
(via @astros)pic.twitter.com/BGNDhbEdXJ
He's an excellent defensive outfielder who, despite a calf injury that sidelined him for the better part of two months last season, put up his best offensive numbers of his five-year career so far.
He slashed .292/.354/.373 (.727 OPS) with three homers and 24 RBIs in 104 games.
But he sure wasn't the same player after he came back from the calf injury in September.
It was a small sample size, sure, but in 15 games after returning, Meyers was 11-for-54 (.204) and didn't have an extra-base hit.
That said, you could probably accept a lesser-hitting center fielder when he's consistently making plays like this:
Offseason Play of the Day!
Jake Meyers robs Julio Rodriguez in HIS center field, snagging this 15% ball with a beautiful dive! pic.twitter.com/5cGtNFc7uu
According to FanGraphs, among players with at least 800 innings played in center field, he was one of only eight guys with a plus Defensive Runs Saved rating (+5). His Outs Above Average (+9) ranked seventh.
The Phillies could be interested on the defensive measurements alone, but they could also be banking on him being poised to break out offensively, similar to how Bader did in 2025.
How's this for a comparison:
Harrison Bader: 2017-2024 - Average bWAR 1.7; Slash: .242/.306/.392;.698 OPS; 91 OPS+; Per season - 9 HR, 34 RBI
Jake Meyers: 2021-2025 - Average bWAR 1.5; Slash: .243/.307/.371; .678 OPS; 90 OPS+; Per season - 7 HR, 32 RBI
Bader obviously had the career season the year following the stats listed above.
Meyers was on his way to having it before he got hurt in July. At the time of his injury, Meyers was slashing .308/.369/.405, for a .774 OPS — pretty close to what Bader did for the full season.
Have a day, Jake Meyers!
He ties an @Astros franchise record with 13 total bases in a game 😮 pic.twitter.com/8sJtVfIxwV
With Bader looking to cash in on a big payday (two years, $25 million?), the Phillies could view Meyers as a far cheaper version of the same player, who is also two years younger.
That's the part that makes sense as to the Phillies interest in Meyers. Now, here's the part that doesn't.
As it said in the Rosenthal/Woo report above, the Astros are looking for controllable starting pitching in exchange for Meyers.
How is that a match for the Phillies?
There's no one on the current Major League roster who the Phillies would trade for Meyers. Not a starting pitcher, anyway — and Andrew Painter is the closest MLB-ready prospect starting pitcher. The Phillies wouldn't move Painter in deals for Garret Crochet in 2024 or Steven Kwan in 2025, so they aren't going to move him for Meyers.
So, what's the definition of controllable?
Would the Astros do it for a prospect-type pitcher that isn't as close to being Major League-ready? If so, then it's conceivable that you could swap a guy like 23-year-old Jean Cabrera — who had a decent season at Reading in 2025. Or if it's something longer-term, are the Astros willing to take a chance on 22-year-old Moises Chace, who underwent Tommy John surgery and may not be back pitching until late in 2026?
Otherwise, the Phillies don't seem to be a good match if acquiring a starting pitcher is Houston's intention.
And if Houston is willing to take something other than a starting pitcher in exchange for Meyers, none of the Phillies Major League players who they would move really seems like a good match in a trade, either.
Alec Bohm only has one year of control before he hits free agency. Bryson Stott doesn't make sense because of the existence of Jose Altuve in Houston. Why would either the Astros or Phillies swap Meyers for Brandon Marsh?
If you squint you can maybe see how an Orion Kerkering for Meyers trade could work for the Astros, but one would think there would be better offers than that for Houston to consider.
Still, there's enough good, reliable reporting suggesting that this is something that could happen, and from a Phillies perspective, adding him makes sense.
But the jigsaw pieces that are needed to put this deal together seem to be from two different puzzles.
