Need an outfielder?

Anyone remember Glenn Wilson and Phil Bradley? Some more favorable thoughts of corner outfielders can trigger thoughts of Johnny Callison, Bake McBride, Von Hayes, Greg Luzinski, Pat Burrell, Del Ennis and Bobby Abreu.

The Phillies will be involved in the upcoming rapid-fire, free-agent period, which will end Dec. 1 unless an unanticipated miracle occurs that would end the presumed work stoppage between the players and the owners.

Acquiring or signing an outfielder is at the top of their shopping list. Through the years, the Phillies have had mixed reviews on some of their signing and trades.

Seattle’s Randy Arozarena, and the Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki apparently are at the top of the Phils’ current list. Talk of Arozarena coming to Philly has gained plenty of momentum.

Don’t get me wrong; either Arozarena or Suzuki appear to be a safe buy.

Caveat Emptor (buyer beware) ... For whatever reason, neither Arozarena or Suzuki don’t sound like all that appealing of options. Maybe it’s because they aren’t high-profile players, even though they both have relatively impressive credentials. The fear is that neither of them would turn into another Adolis Garcia, who also had some glowing statistics before he joined the Phillies this past season as a free agent.

Another primary problem is there isn’t a big pool to cast a line and find a prize catch. Any real interest in Trent Grisham, Taylor Ward, or Ian Happ?

The pattern from some of their former acquisitions to fill an outfield spot is eerily similar.

Last season, Arozarena hit 26 homers with 79 RBIs and had a .281 average. He also swiped 26 bases, which makes him even more attractive. Over his eight-year career, Arozarena has averaged 24 homers, 80 homers, and 19 stolen bases. He struck out 145 times last season, and has averaged 172 times for his career.

Suzuki had similar numbers with 26 homers, 80 homers, and a .272 average. He struck out 155 times, and has fanned 719 times in his career, averaging 143.8 annually. Suzuki is not a speed demon, as he stole only three bases last season and has 39 for his career.

Both Arozarena and Suzuki are near carbon copies of each other. They also will draw a lot of attention from other clubs. Yet, is either one the right solution for the Phillies? They have been down this road before having the presumed outfield piece.

Believe it or not, bringing Garcia back reportedly isn’t out of the question.

Glennbo and Phil ... Two outfielders who never lived up to the expectations were Wilson and Bradley, who will forever be tied together in Phillies history.

Actually, they were traded for each other in December 1987 when the Phillies dealt Wilson to Seattle for Bradley.

Nicknamed “Glennbo” as part of a team marketing campaign behind the then “Rambo” character for his rocket arm, Wilson spent four years in Philly and had 49 homers, 271 RBIs and a .265 average. Prior to being acquired from Detroit, Wilson had 11 homers, 65 RBIs, and a .268 average in his final year with the Tigers.

Bradley was also viewed as a solution and a more complete package. In his final year with the Mariners, Bradley hit 14 homers and knocked in 67 runs. However, his most appealing element was his speed with 40 stolen bases.

The Phils were confident they had a budding star who would maintain a consistent bloom.

Wrong.

Bradley never fit in Philly, and his numbers were well below expectations. He had 11 homers, 56 RBIs, a .264 average and 11 stolen bases in 154 games. Bradley was shipped to Baltimore in the offseason for pitcher Ken Howell.

Both Wilson and Bradley filled a hole, but they were mediocre additions instead of anticipated elevated ones.

Plan B ... If Trea Turner doesn’t appear to be the answer at shortstop in the spring, and top prospect Aidan Miller looks like the answer there, the Phils could finally move Turner to the outfield.

That move would be the result of signing Japanese import Teruaki Sato, who was officially posted by the Hansin Tigers Sunday. Sato has a 45-day window to negotiate a deal, and the Phils are in the hunt.

There’s also some chatter about dealing with the Red Sox for outfielder Jarren Duran, who was previously on their radar. He had a line of 20 homers, 69 RBIs and a .207 average last year. Duran can consistently hit 20 homers, but his average has been inconsistent.

The wildcard here is Milwaukee first baseman Jake Bauers, who can play the outfield. He has similar stats (26, 86, .266) to Arozarena and Suzuki. But Bauers likely will be back with the Brew Crew on a one-year, $23 million qualifying offer.

At The Top ... In the search for an outfielder, the Phillies also need to address their leadoff issue. Maybe they can solve both in one swoop.

Joc Pederson is a free agent, and the former Ranger is coming off a two-year, $37 million deal. He smacked 26 homers with 53 RBIs, but hit just .235. Pederson would be a cheap pickup and is a questionable starter, but he definitely would be a good bench player.

Remember all the Byron Buxton hype last year? Buxton only played 93 games last season, and ended with a line of 25 homers, 65 RBIs, and .254 average, but only seven stolen bases. He had six leadoff homers.

Coming back healthy, the Phils might want to explore possibilities with Buxton again, as he is signed through 2028 on his seven-year, $100 million deal. Buxton could solve a center field problem with Marsh and Crawford flanking him.

To me, though, one of the top leadoff hitters is Cleveland’s Steven Kwan. The gold glove left fielder, who also has played center, hit .282 last season with 85 walks and 62 strikeouts in 637 plate appearances — and in 151 games.

He had 151 total hits with an OBP of .382 and an OPS of .731.

Kwan is versatile in the outfield, and can be a free agent after 2027. He has been the subject of trade rumors the past few seasons, and this may be the offseason where the 29-year-old finally gets moved.

He would be a nice addition at the top of the lineup.

Scrapbook ... In each column, I will look back at a former standout from the area.

Jonny Byers had a solid, versatile career at Panther Valley. A catcher, outfielder and infielder for the Panthers, Byers hit .279 in his senior season of 2021 with 14 RBIs.

Byers continued his career at Albright College, where he played four seasons. Overall, he hit .159 in 36 games. Byers was also a member of the MAC Academic Honor Roll. He is a volunteer assistant coach with the varsity baseball team.

Your thoughts and comments are always welcomed; email them to tnsports@tnonline.com.

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