Phillies Acquire Corey Dickerson

Corey Dickerson has been traded.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo is reporting that the Philadelphia Phillies have acquired the outfielder from the Pirates. Dickerson is a quality bat and will look to be a part of the outfield mix for them before hitting free agency this winter.

Dickerson has missed nearly two months of the season with a shoulder strain but has done well since coming off the injured list. In 141 plate appearances, he's slashed a line of .317/.376/.556. That was capped by a performance last night against the Reds where he hit two home runs and had five RBIs.

Dickerson was an All-Star back in 2017 and has the reputation for being a defensive liability, but surprised many with 16 Defensive Runs Saved last season and took home a Gold Glove for those efforts. He's earning $8.5MM this year and is still owed $2.79MM over the final two months of the season.

For the Phillies, it was an importance to get more outfield mix. They lost Andrew McCutchen to a torn ACL while center fielder Odubel Herrera has been suspended for the remainder of the season under the league's domestic violence policy. Those were two crucial bats that the Phillies needed to replenish and they got it in Dickerson. They tried to address those needs earlier in a June acquisition of Jay Bruce, but he has been injured since arriving there and is now out for a couple weeks with an oblique injury. It was clear the Phillies could not count on him either.

I don't know if acquiring Dickerson will solve their problems immediately but a quality outfielder was what they wanted and Corey Dickerson fits that mold. We'll see what happens in Philadelphia and if Dickerson's presence and offensive capabilities will propel this team into the Wild Card by season's end.