October 14, 2026
Kate Frese/Kate Frese for PhillyVoice
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 13: A photo from the Philadelphia Phillies game against the Atlanta Braves on September 13, 2023 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. (Photo by Kate Frese/PhillyVoice)
Brandon Marsh is a Philadelphia fan favorite.
Which makes it hard for some people to divorce their on-field assessment from his epic beard, flowing locks and boisterous personality.
Since the Phillies traded for Marsh from the Angels back in 2022, he's been manning the outfield, and dividing the fan base due to his stark splits between lefty and righty pitchers.
However you choose to frame your relationship with the outfielder, it's undeniable that the Phillies' outfield has been a net negative over the last few years and Marsh hasn't really done that much to change that glaring weakness. He had one of the best first halves to a season in team history — followed by one of the worst.
With one year remaining in Philadelphia (he's arbitration eligible), the Phillies would need to actively trade Marsh to keep him from playing in the city in 2027. There are some pretty convincing arguments for them doing so.
Here's a look at some reasons why they should keep him for at least one more campaign, and for why they should send him packing:
MORE STAY OR GO: Bullpen arms | Alec Bohm | Luis Arráez
Bryson Stott | Edmundo Sosa | Dave Dombrowski | Don Mattingly
He's young and he's cheap
The Phillies have one year left of team control over Marsh, who'll likely receive in the neighborhood of $8 million when the arbitration process is done. He's 28, which actually makes him the second youngest hitter in their current projected offense. With inflated contracts and aging players all over the Phillies' ledger for the next few seasons, having Marsh for one more year does give them something they probably need to have.
We should make a mention of what he does well on offense, as Marsh did hit as well as anyone in baseball for the first few months of the season before production dropped off later in the summer. His .301 batting average and .829 OPS before the All-Star break does prove he has elite talent.
He can play defense
His defense was far from elite in 2026, he had better years in the outfield for sure, but compared to the rest of the Phillies' outfield defense, Marsh was extremely reliable.
His defensive runs saved was in the positive and was the second best of any outfielder on the team (behind Derek Hill, who started just 28 times). He only made two errors all season and his range factor was right in line with an average MLB outfielder. For a team lacking, big time, in reliable defenders, Marsh brings a lot of value to the table.
The outfield is barren
If we put Bryce Harper back to first base, which is where he wants to play in 2027, the Phillies outfield is frankly a dumpster fire without Marsh. Here's who is currently under contract with MLB experience:
• Derek Hill, who hit .261 but blasted seven pretty important home runs and played very good defense
• Justin Crawford, an inconsistent but serviceable rookie campaign that should have him back in the fold for 2027
• Bryan De La Cruz, who wasn't bad, hitting .280 in 24 games
• Gabriel Rincones Jr., who hit .167 with a -0.7 WAR in 29 games with the Phillies
• Felix Reyes, who hit .158 in 12 games
• Otto Kemp, who went 2-for-27 and was called up to play in the postseason due to the Phillies' brutal lack of MLB hitters
• Johan Rojas, who's been sidelined since hitting .224 in 2025 due to suspensions and injuries
• Colby Thomas, a journeyman who hit .143 in Lehigh Valley last year
Marsh isn't looking so bad anymore is he?
His righty-lefty splits are brutal
Marsh is not an everyday MLB player. He might have been for half of 2026, but then he forgot how to hit lefties. Here's his splits from 2026, and from the rest of his career:
| vs. L | vs. R | |
| 2026 | .223/.258/.355 | .270/.318/.424 |
| 3 HR, 12 RBI | 15 HR, 50 RBI | |
| Career | .215/.274/.314 | .274/.341/.444 |
| 11 HR, 56 RBI | 59 HR, 240 RBI |
If the Phillies want to play Marsh next year, they're going to need to also play a right-handed hitter against lefty starters.
Will they extend him?
Similar to what we discussed in our Bryson Stott story, Marsh is set to be a free agent after the 2027 season. If the Phillies are able to recoup any sort of value from him, and have a replacement they prefer more, swapping Marsh for some prospects to help reinvigorate a lacking farm system isn't the worst approach in the world. Otherwise he is a platoon hitter for one more year and then walks for nothing.
He was the worst hitter in baseball
For the last two and a half months of 2026, there was literally not a worse hitter in all of Major League Baseball. The following stats are from July 1 through the end of the season, and are compiled from 156 qualified batters:
| Category | Stat | Rank |
| OPS | .490 | 156th |
| Batting | .183 | 155th |
| On base | .250 | 155th |
| Slugging | .249 | 156th |
| wRC+ | 29 | 156th |
That last one is wRC+, which is weighted runs created — of course his was the worst in the majors. If you look closely at the table, you'll notice that his slugging percentage (which awards a single .250, a double .500, a triple .750 and homer 1.000) is lower than his on base percentage. That's extremely rare and hard to do.
All of this is to say that while he did show, for a few months, that he can be the best hitter in baseball, he also showed, for a few months, he can be the literal worst. Do the Phillies want that kind of baggage back for 2027?
What do you think, should the Phillies try and trade Brandon Marsh?
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