Jul 10, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies second base Bryson Stott (5) reacts after hitting an RBI single during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports Eric Hartline
The Phillies may trade one of their controllable, youngish players this offseason, but it doesn't sound like it will be Bryson Stott.
Matt Gelb of The Athletic wrote Thursday that "the Phillies have continued to dangle Alec Bohm and Ranger Suárez in an attempt to acquire big-league players." The same does not appear to be true about Stott or Brandon Marsh, according to Gelb:
"Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh, two younger players who could interest clubs, are less available in trade talks."
Gelb previously suggested this was the case with Marsh in an episode of "Phillies Therapy." For whatever flaws Marsh may have, he's capable of playing both center and left field, and there are so few impact players at the former position.
Stott is interesting because while he's a natural shortstop, he's primarily played second base at the MLB level. That is a position where it isn't particularly difficult to find a replacement-level player. But there are reasons for the Phillies to be protective of the 27-year-old former first-round pick.
First of all, he's proven to be a Gold Glove-level defender at second base. In parts of three MLB seasons, Stott has 14 defensive runs saved and 21 outs above average at second base. It's unclear what would happen to Stott if Trea Turner eventually needs to shift to second base, but for the time being, the Phillies have one of the best defensive second basemen in the sport.
STOTT TO GO!#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/RDFbRKQ0MW
Secondly, the Phillies would be selling low on Stott, who hit .245 with a .671 OPS this past season, a disappointing development after he hit .280 with a .747 OPS in 2023. Is it concerning that since hitting .301 in the first half of the 2023 season Stott has posted a .248 batting average across 759 regular-season at-bats? Yes. But the Phillies have little choice but to see if Stott can rebound offensively in 2025.
Building on that, manager Rob Thomson said in his end-of-season press conference in October that the Phillies will consider whether continuing to use Kyle Schwarber as the leadoff hitter makes sense. If they decide to move Schwarber in the lineup, Stott would seem to be one of the internal candidates to replace him at the top of the order. At his best, he's a singles hitter who can steal bases. In general, the Phillies need to balance out a power-driven lineup with players who hit for contact, and Stott has shown an ability to do that in the past.
Finally, it probably doesn't hurt Stott's case that he's good friends with Bryce Harper. That doesn't mean that if the Pittsburgh Pirates called the Phillies and offered Paul Skenes for Stott that they wouldn't do it — this is a business. But it would be naive to think that being close with one of the most powerful people in the organization isn't a feather in the cap of Stott.
#Phillies — Who May Only Add One Late-Inning Reliever — ‘Checked In on' Pair of Former Yankees, per @mattgelb.bsky.social.
Analysis on @onpattison.bsky.social: onpattison.com/news/2024/de...
— Tim Kelly (@timkellysports.bsky.social) December 5, 2024 at 11:07 AM
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