Roster intrigue grows as Phillies dump Adam Haseley in trade with White Sox

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TAMPA, Fla. -- The Phillies shipped out a former first-round draft pick Tuesday, potentially clearing the way for two other former first-rounders to make the opening day roster.

Adam Haseley was traded to the Chicago White Sox for 23-year-old McKinley Moore, a minor-league right-hander with a power arm but control issues.

The Phillies selected Haseley with the eighth overall pick in the 2017 draft. The outfielder played parts of three seasons with the club, never living up to his lofty draft status.

Haseley's departure 10 days before the season opener leaves just five outfielders on the 40-man roster, one of whom is Mickey Moniak, the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Barring a late addition, Moniak could make the team as the fifth outfielder.

Haseley's exit also clears a spot on the 40-man roster that could be filled by infielder Bryson Stott, the team's top pick in the 2019 draft. Stott is battling yet another first-rounder, 2018 top pick Alec Bohm, for the starting job at third base.

Bohm was the Phillies' regular at third base for much of last season, but he struggled offensively and defensively and was eventually sent to the minors. He got the start at third base against the Yankees on Tuesday and went 0 for 2 with a walk. He is 2 for 21 with three walks and three strikeouts this spring.

Stott, meanwhile, is hitting .533 (8 for 15) with five walks and four strikeouts. He has played primarily shortstop in camp but started at third base Sunday and will get another look there possibly as soon as Wednesday.

With eight more games on the spring training schedule, manager Joe Girardi was careful not to make any roster proclamations. Things can change in a hurry at this time of spring. Trades can be made. Players can be picked up on waivers.

But Girardi did acknowledge that Stott was "making a strong case."

If Stott makes the team, he is going to play regularly and third base is the only opening as Didi Gregorius is safe at shortstop. If Stott wins the third base job, Bohm could be sent to Triple A -- it's doubtful the team would want to carry him as a reserve -- or be used in a trade. Several teams have poked around on Bohm and the club appears to be open to dealing him for the right return.

Girardi indicated that Bohm was still very much in the mix at third base. A simple solution to all this would be to carry Bohm, see what he does for 100 or so at-bats and send Stott to Triple A, where he would not require a spot on the 40-man roster and his service-time clock would remain in park.

But with a club-record $240 million payroll, stars in the lineup and competence in the starting rotation, it's win time for the Phillies. They are desperate to break a 10-year playoff drought and have an obligation to put their best 26 players on the roster. Actually, that number is expected to be 28 for the first two weeks of the season, an accommodation for the shortened spring. The Phillies will likely carry two extra relief pitchers, 10 in total.

With Haseley gone, the Phillies' five outfielders are Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Matt Vierling and Moniak. Vierling is expected to get the nod in center out of the gate with Schwarber in left and Harper in right. Moniak could push for time in a platoon with Vierling until Odubel Herrera is healthy.

Moniak's potential inclusion comes just a week or so after Girardi indicated he was not part of the team's center field plans. In the interim, Herrera suffered an oblique strain that will keep him off the opening day roster and Moniak got hot as a hibachi at the plate with a stretch of swings that produced two doubles and three homers in his last five games.

"The adjustments he's made at the plate are really starting to show," Girardi said. (Moniak moved closer to the plate; that has freed his hips, Girardi said.)

Even though Moniak's improvement may have hastened Haseley's departure, the Phillies did not seem committed to the player long-term. Haseley, who turns 26 in April, opened last season in the majors and played in nine games before taking a sudden leave from the team for personal reasons on April 14. He returned about a month later and played in the minors, but never made it back to the majors.

"Great kid, worked hard," Girardi said. "Sometimes a change of scenery can help a player."

Haseley played at the University of Virginia and was a favorite of former general manager Matt Klentak and some of the team's draft analysts. He is the latest in a line of former first-round picks who have now moved on after making little or no impact for the Phillies at the major-league level. 

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