Phillies predicted to pursue Yankees' 29 home run slugger in free agency

TJ French

Phillies predicted to pursue Yankees' 29 home run slugger in free agency image

The Philadelphia Phillies' front office has emerged as one of the best in baseball over the past few seasons. They've pulled all of the right strings, made effective trades, and hope to win an NL Pennant this season. 

Following the season, the Phillies will have a lot of decisions to make and key players to sign, like Kyle Schwarber. But who could they add from the open market that would make an immediate impact?

The Phillies are expected to attempt to sign Cody Bellinger

The New York Yankees have seen a lot of power output from several sluggers, and Cody Bellinger is one of them. He's hitting .269 with 29 home runs and 97 RBIs. 

This is the third consecutive year of Bellinger being a well-above-average hitter, and he's expected to test the open market for a more lucrative deal than he's currently on (three years, $60 million).

He's now shown the ability to hit for 25+ home runs in New York and Chicago. Now, Philadelphia is expected to be in the mix for the star slugger. 

One of Philadelphia's biggest holes is center and left field, and a move like this would certainly solve that problem. Bellinger is also a + defender who can play all three outfield spots/ first base. 

Making a splash like this would have the rest of the NL East in their control for several years to come.

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TJ French

TJ French is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He has worked for the Gwinnett Daily Post, Athlon Sports, 90.5 FM WUOG, Heavy Sports and Perfect Game.