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A look back at the Mike Moustakas trade

Brett Phillips was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays last month, ending his tenure with the Royals. He was in the midst of his best MLB season (at least offensively) since his brief stint with the Brewers in 2017 with a line of .226/.294/.387 in 34 plate appearances. For all of his offensive failings, he was the seventh best hitter on the team this season by wRC+ (minimum 30 PAs), outhitting O’Hearn, Mondesi, Gordon and Nicky Lopez.

In his time with the Royals, he was worth 0.9 fWAR, based almost entirely on his defensive skills. His 83 wRC+ this season is actually good enough combined with his defensive skills, for him to be a starting #9 hitter playing center field for competitive teams, though his future is almost certainly that of a fourth outfielder.