Phillies' preference at trade deadline is to add an Angels outfielder, but not Mike Trout

The Philadelphia Phillies are approaching the 2026 MLB trade deadline with three glaring needs on the roster in the bullpen, rotation, and outfield.

Regarding the team's ever-present outfield need, they've once again been linked to a few familiar names this summer. One of those players is Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale is reporting the Phillies "would prefer" to trade for an Angels outfielder at the deadline, but it's not Trout. Instead, the right-handed hitting outfielder the Phillies want to add is Jo Adell.

Phillies 'would prefer' to trade for Jo Adell from Angels

"The Philadelphia Phillies would prefer to acquire Angels OF Jo Adell, who has 10 homers against left-handed pitchers this year," Nightengale writes.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the Phillies are on the hunt for outfield help, and specifically, right-handed hitting outfield help.

While they've been linked to a few higher-profile Angels players, including Trout and even shortstop Zach Neto, the Phillies real player of interest might be Adell.

The 27-year-old righty slugger is under club control through 2027, and this season in 414 at-bats, he has 16 home runs with a .244 batting average and 101 hits with a .695 OPS and 97 OPS+. His 0.2 bWAR leaves a lot to be desired.

But the Phillies have a different use for Adell than as an everyday outfielder. Adell would likely be a platoon option, slotting in against every left-handed pitcher.

MORE: Red Sox ‘would love’ to trade for Angels’ Zach Neto or Astros’ Jeremy Pena

The reason why is simple: he crushes lefty pitching. This season in 115 at-bats against LHP, Adell has 10 home runs, a .313 batting average, and a .941 OPS. That's significantly better than his .217 average and .600 OPS against right-handers.

Adding Adell would give the Phillies the lefty-masher they're searching for, but also a good power-hitting outfielder who could make a difference in 2026 and 2027.

While the Phillies and Angels have been linked over the years for a Trout trade, no matter how unlikely it is, the deal that has a real chance of happening is an Adell trade.

The Phillies reportedly "would prefer" to add Adell this summer by the August 3 MLB trade deadline. Adell would make sense, and is someone Phillies fans should keep an eye out for rumors on as the deadline nears this season.

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