The Philadelphia Phillies’ opening weekend went largely as anticipated. They handled business against the struggling Washington Nationals, but once again, several flaws were evident. A major concern has been the team’s inability to consistently put the ball in play, an issue that has lingered over the past few seasons. While they improved on their strikeout rate, Opening Day saw them strike out 19 times. Despite pulling off a 7-3 win in extra innings, this kind of performance won’t be a sustainable strategy moving forward.

The difficulty is that finding players who don’t strike out frequently is becoming harder in today’s game, with the increase in the talent of pitchers. However, there are areas where the Phillies’ offense could still use improvement, and some intriguing options are available. Bryce Harper has expressed a willingness to move back to the outfield if it would allow the Phillies to add an above-average player at first base. Now, there’s a potential option in veteran star of the Baltimore Orioles.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Orioles are reportedly open to trading top star to make room for Coby Mayo. While Mountcastle may not be a perfect fit, he’s a reliable major league hitter who could provide solid at-bats for the Phillies. His addition could create some confusion in the outfield, but if Harper is healthy and willing to move back to the outfield, Mountcastle could be a valuable piece for Philadelphia.