On The Block: Ben Revere

By: Ryan Bode

THIS IS WHY JEFF FRANCOEUR HAS NEVER BEEN ON A TEAM VERY LONG!!! The Philadelphia Phillies made a terrible mistake in wasting their money on his services, and his atrocious throw not only sums up the season the Phillies are having, but the way the Phillies have fun the organization for the past couple of years.

Now in an effort to rebuild not only the Phillies, but the whole franchise including the farm system, the front office is starting to sell their players for prospects.

In the On The Block series, I have already delved into Cole Hamels and Johnathan Papelbon as other pieces that the Phillies look to move. Now there are rumors that Phillies are looking to get rid of their one bright spot in the outfield, Ben Revere.

Two of the most enticing attributes about Ben Revere is that he is in the prime of his career at age 27 and also his contract will expire at the end of the year where he will be arbitration eligible for a team.

In addition to having good offensive numbers (.289 BA, 1 HR, .325 OBP, and .704 OPS) he has good speed both in the field and on the base paths. Revere has swiped 18 bases and has only been caught 4 times.

Here are some teams that could use an upgrade in their line-ups heading into the July and the rest of the season.

Los Angeles Angels

The Angels have already stated that they will be looking for hitting via trades. The Angels line-up has been abysmal outside of Pujols and Trout. Freese, Iannetta, and Matt Joyce have all been terrible for the Angels. Ben Revere would provide an upgrade that is greatly needed in the line-up. With his .289 BA, he would already be one of the better hitters in the lineup. In addition to this, he would offer a go to guy at the top of the lineup that can get on base for the likes of Trout and Pujols to hit in.

Washington Nationals

With Jayson Werth sidelined until at least August and Anthony Rendon on the DL as well, the Nationals are going to be seeking someone to fill those offensive needs. Revere is a possible option for the Nationals in the short term and possibly long term as well. Werth is currently 36 years old and with his recent injury history, it looks like that he is going to be on the downward slope of his career. Revere could fill that hole for the Nationals right now and step into that lineup as well as into the future, being that he is only 27 years old. The Nationals already look like a World Series Contender for the next couple of years and could possibly spare some prospects in order to get Revere and win now.

New York Mets

Although I think that this is a very unlikely place that Revere would go since it’s within the division, but the Mets are desperately looking for hitters. Michael Cuddyer has not reproduced the numbers he has a year ago, Curtis Granderson is not living up to his massive contract, and arguably the best hitter on their staff right now is their rookie pitcher Steven Matz, who went 3-3 with 4 RBI’s in his debut. Once Wright comes back, the Mets could have a fearsome top of the lineup against any pitcher with Revere, Granderson, and Wright. One of the items that the Phillies might ask for is for one of the Mets young arms. The Mets will not deal one of them until they get a clearer picture of whether are contenders or pretenders closer to the deadline.