Phillies fill outfield need with addition of Max Kepler on 1year deal
Dec 20, 2024
A quiet Phillies offseason may finally be heating up, the team Friday announcing a one-year, $10 million deal with outfielder Max Kepler.
The 31-year-old has spent his entire 10-year big league career with the Minnesota Twins since they signed him as an international free agent in 2009. He’ll be looking to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2024 campaign that limited him to 105 games.
When healthy the left-handed hitting Kepler is an everyday player where he had started eight consecutive Opening Days in right field for the Twins. In 2023, he slashed .260/.332/.484 with 24 homers, 66 RBI and an .816 OPS.
The best year of his career came in 2019 when he hit 36 longballs, knocked in 90 and had a .252/.336/.519 slash and .855 OPS.
Kepler’s signing would be just the second of the winter for the Phillies, who have watched rivals around the league be very busy. The Mets’ inked Juan Soto to a record contract, the Cubs acquired Kyle Tucker, the Red Sox traded for Garrett Crochet and the Yankees have made a bevy of moves after losing out on Soto.
The Phillies earlier added reliever Jordan Romano on a one-year deal.
Kepler’s acquisition could lead to other moves. The Phillies have reportedly shopped both Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos, although manager Rob Thomson appeared at the winter meetings to throw cold water on that.
Castellanos has been the everyday right-fielder ever since Bryce Harper injured his elbow and then moved to first base. The 32-year-old Castellanos, who was the Phils’ best player in their ill-fated postseason appearance, could move to left field with Brandon Marsh sliding to center in a platoon with Johan Rojas.