The Phillies lack of power has been a clear issue for the first month or so of the season. So naturally, as summer approaches, chatter about who they could acquire in July to add some pop will start to get louder with each passing day and each additional man left on base.
High Cheese says the Boston Globe threw out Kevin Youkilis' name as a potential fit for the Phillies. He might fit with this Phillies offense because he too is having an awful season at the dish. That's when he's playing. Youk is currently on the DL with some back issues, but in 64 at-bats was hitting .219/.292/.344 with 2 homers and 9 RBIs.
Obviously all of this talk of acquiring power before we know what exactly, if anything, we'll get from Chase Utley and Ryan Howard is a bit premature, as David Murphy points out. But it's never too early to just speculate.
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Murphy throws out a potential Blanton for Youk deal that would provide each team with a missing piece they desire while giving up something quasi expendable, but to that I say Blanton is having a much better season to date, obviously because he's been making positive contributions on the field. Youk would have to come back from the DL and show that he's still got quite a bit left in that awkwardly-held bat of his before this conversation could move much further towards reality.
Perhaps I'm just biased because Kevin Youkilis is currently sitting on the DL of my fantasy team, but the thought of him in the Phillies lineup does not excite me much. At least not with the duel threat of his year-to-date performance and his injury history.
What say you, Phillies fans? Do you like the potential power and 1B/3B versatility Youkilis could provide? Am I a bit blinded by my fantasy team managerial anger?