Rumors & Notes-Olney: Ichiro To Philadelphia?
Mar 9, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Ichiro Suzuki (31) singles during the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Yankees outfield is stacked. They have speedsters Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury in left and center field along with veteran slugger Carlos Beltran in right, not to mention DH and fourth outfielder Alfonso Soriano. All of this talent in the outfield makes 40-year-old Ichiro Suzuki expendable.
The Philadelphia Phillies are in a much different situation. They have Dominic Brown in left field, Ben Revere in center field, and Marlon Byrd in right field but aside from those three, they don’t have much depth. John Mayberry Jr. hit 11 home runs in 2013, but batted a mere .227 with a .677 OPS in 353 at bats and he is their fourth outfielder. Also, Ben Revere has missed 112 games over the past two seasons and Marlon Byrd is now 36-years-old, so they may need some relief every so often.
ESPN’s Buster Olney wonders if these two teams are fit to make a trade. He tweeted that Ichiro Suzuki “appears to be the odd man out” for the Yankees and that the Phillies need outfield help.
Olney also points out that Suzuki doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract and cannot veto a trade.
Suzuki is owed $6.5 million in 2014, so it’s likely that the Yankees will have to pay a good amount of it…unless an expendable player with a high salary is coming back to New York in the trade.