The MLB hot stove has been unfavorable to the Phillies this winter, but here’s a positive nugget.
According to insider Jim Bowden of CBS Sports, the Phillies are one of a handful of teams pursuing free-agent infielder Marcus Semien, who finished third in American League MVP voting during his breakout 2019.
Semien regressed in 2020, submitting an anemic .223/.305/.374 batting line in 54 regular-season appearances, though he roared to life with a dominant October, surging to a .407 average over 27 postseason at-bats.
Though a shortstop by trade, Semien does have experience at both second (29 games including 26 starts) and third base (44 starts).
In addition to the Phillies, Semien has also attracted reported interest from the Red Sox, Reds and Athletics. If he favors continuity, Semien could return to Oakland, where he has spent the past six seasons, though paying top dollar for free agents has never been the A’s MO. The right-handed-hitting Semien, who starred at Cal-Berkeley before turning pro as a sixth-round pick of the White Sox in 2011, could be a nice get for the Phillies, who are looking to replace Didi Gregorius (also a free agent) at shortstop.
Semien’s age (he turned 30 in September) and pedestrian .254 career average could give teams pause, though the promise he showed in 2019 (.285 with 33 homers, 92 RBI and 10 steals) and again this past fall should be enough to warrant a lucrative, multi-year contract.
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