Add this name to the list of players the Phillies believe can boost their offense: Adam Jones.
With the non-waiver trade deadline set for 4 p.m. Tuesday, the Phillies are targeting Jones as a possible upgrade in right field, according to major-league sources. Jones has spent 11 seasons as the Baltimore Orioles' center fielder.
There would be a few hurdles to a deal for Jones. As a player with 10/5 rights (at least 10 years in the majors, the last five or more with the same team), Jones can veto any trade. He will be a free agent at the end of the season, and there's a sense that he might want to stay in Baltimore, where he has become the face of the franchise.
But Jones also has connections with several Phillies executives who once worked for the Orioles. Phillies team president Andy MacPhail was running the Orioles' baseball operations in 2008 when the club acquired Jones from the Seattle Mariners in one of the best trades in franchise history.
Jones, who turns 33 next week, is batting .277 with a .304 on-base percentage, 10 home runs and a .727 OPS that would be his lowest mark since 2008. But the Phillies entered play Wednesday with the second-lowest right field OPS (.640) in the National League and optioned struggling Aaron Altherr to Triple A earlier this week. Acquiring Jones would also enable the Phillies to strengthen their bench because it would relegate Nick Williams to a reserve role in which he excelled earlier in the season.
Although Jones hasn't played right field since 2007, an NL talent evaluator suggested he would adjust well to playing a corner outfield spot at this point in his career, especially because many scouts believe he has lost a step in center field. Jones also has a reputation within the game as a positive clubhouse presence.
Phillies players have expressed confidence in their ability to score runs. But they also would welcome additions from the outside before Tuesday.
"This is my first deadline that's been meaningful," left fielder Rhys Hoskins said. "It's interesting. But it just means that we're ready to compete into October."
