By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
While a slumping Odubel Herrera probably benefited from having a day off Wednesday, it probably wasn't an accident that the Philadelphia Phillies had Peter Bourjos play center field during a game that various scouts from around the league were present for.
Bourjos appears likely to be traded before the August 1 non-waiver trade deadline, and in an interview on The Sports Bash on 97.3 ESPN earlier this week, Phillies assistant general manager Scott Proefrock touted Bourjos' defense, among other things.
“Peter Bourjos has played very well and I know Peter may have turned himself into a viable trade candidate that can help a contender. Peter is a guy quite frankly who is a free agent next year, we bought him in to improve our outfield defense and he’s done that. For him personally, his offense, after a rough start, has picked up to the point where, again, I think he’s got a chance to help a contender in the second half of the year.”
Bourjos playing center field Wednesday was a good reminder to teams that while the 29-year-old has been impressive in right-field this season, he has the ability to play all three outfield positions at a high level.
On yesterday's Mike Missanelli show on 97.5 the Fanatic, ESPN's Jayson Stark assessed the market for Bourjos:
"I think he's the position player that the Phillies would most like to move. That's what other teams tell me. The bad news is, you mentioned that offensive revival, but since the break he's three for 21, with no walks. You're gonna have to live with some of that. The only team that I've really heard on him is the [Chicago] White Sox. And that's not working out well because they just won for the first time in a week. They're under .500, they are clearly not going to be big buyers, but they do need a center fielder."
It's entirely possible that a team that's not otherwise buying, such as the White Sox, would make a move for Bourjos now, hoping that they will be able to re-sign him for the 2017 season.
Regardless of who is interested in Bourjos, if he's moved, it's likely to be more to the benefit of the team acquiring him, with the Phillies getting a minimal return. An American League scout told our Nick Mandarano earlier this month that despite the hot streak that he had at the plate, potential suitors are "still looking more at history than the recent performance." That doesn't mean he won't be traded, but it won't be for anything of consequence for the team that would be adding his services.
