When the San Diego Padres pulled off a prospect-packed, eight-player swap for Juan Soto, the general consensus within and especially outside the industry was that they won the trade deadline.
Two months later, it appears the Phillies have a keeper. Brandon Marsh remains a work in progress at the plate, although his work with hitting coach Kevin Long did yield a solid .288/.319/.455 slash line in 41 regular-season games and helped produce a big three-run homer in Game 4 of the NL Division Series against Atlanta. But it’s Marsh’s defense in center field, specifically his range, that has had the greatest impact on the Phillies.
“I think it was the most undervalued trade throughout that whole trade deadline,” Kyle Schwarber said Saturday before playing alongside Marsh in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series at Citizens Bank Park. “The things that he’s brought to the team, he’s a natural center fielder. The way that he plays the game fearlessly. He’s a heck of an athlete. He makes plays look easy, like that play [Friday] night, that wasn’t easy.”
