Scratch one more name off the list of possible center field options for the Phillies: Denard Span. According to Dan Knobler of CBS Sports, the Washington Nationals have acquired Span in a trade. The move is interesting on many levels, but surely will affect the Phillies.
With B.J. Upton and Span off the board, remaining options on the free agent market include former Phillie Michael Bourn, Josh Hamilton. While last season there were some thought that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim would be willing to trade Peter Bourjois, the departure of Torii Hunter to free agency created space in the Angels' outfield for Bourjois, who was squeezed by the emergence of rookie All-Star players Mike Trout and Mike Trumbo.
With the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves off the board of teams who need a center fielder, there are not many teams remaining with money. The Twins and the Tampa Bay Rays both have internal options to replace their departing center fielders.
Earlier in the day, ESPN and Sirius XM's Jim Bowden tweeted that the Nationals were becoming impatient with free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche and may look harder at Michael Bourn. The Nationals figure to field an outfield of Jayson Werth, Denard Span, and Bryce Harper, with Mike Morse shifting to first base.
The Giants will need to replace departing center fielder Angel Pagan, should they not re-sign him. There were indications a couple weeks ago that the Giants were still interested in retaining him. It is starting to appear that the supply is going to exceed demand.
With "Michael Bourn" having come out of Ruben Amaro's mouth publicly and directly, I'm starting to think that there will be a Phillies and Bourn reunion. With the Nationals and Braves out of the picture, the Scott Boras client just may not be overpriced. Bourn remains friends with Jimmy Rollins and has spoken well of his time in Philadelphia.
