Phillies trade idea dumps Brandon Marsh to Tigers for $2.25 million fireman

As the Philadelphia Phillies welcome Brandon Marsh back into the fold, the center fielder should probably prepare himself for a healthy sprinkling of trade speculation.

Marsh went 2-for-4 with a double in the Phillies' 7-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday in his first big-league game action since Apr. 16. It's great to have him healthy, but the question is whether or not he's the long-term answer for Philadelphia in center field.

Marsh has always been better defensively in left field than center, and he's never done well against left-handed pitching. He's still a very useful player to have on a roster, but might not be the best fit for this Phillies roster as they try to pursue a championship.

Accordingly, one baseball writer thinks Marsh could be shipped to the Detroit Tigers to help solve the Phillies' bullpen struggles.

On Saturday, Jon Vankin of Newsweek proposed a hypothetical trade that would send Marsh to Detroit and bring Tigers reliever Jon Brebbia, who is currently on the injured list with a triceps strain, to Philadelphia.

"Why would Brebbia be an attractive trade piece to Philadelphia? Before his injury, he had pitched a stellar nine innings allowing only one run, for an impressive ERA of 1.00," Vankin wrote.

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"In the Phillies bullpen, Matt Strahm boasts the lowest ERA at 3.00, with four earned runs, five total, allowed in 12 innings over 14 appearances — so Brebbia would be a clear upgrade assuming he can keep up his early pace after he comes off the IL."

Brebbia, 34, has generally been an effective journeyman and was off to a great start to the season in Detroit. He allowed just one earned run in his first nine innings, striking out nine, before the injury.

Because Brebbia is on a one-year, $2.25 million deal, the money involved would be of little consequence to the Phillies. Making a deal like this would come down to how badly they feel they need bullpen help, and how confident they were that they could replace Marsh internally or externally.

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