Phillies claim outfielder Jake Cave off waivers, focus on shortstop market ahead of winter meetings

The move gives the Phillies an extra left-handed-hitting outfielder in the absence of Bryce Harper.

The Phillies claimed former Minnesota Twins outfielder Jake Cave off waivers.Read moreAbbie Parr / AP

Published Dec. 2, 2022, 5:15 p.m. ET

As a precursor to what is shaping up as a hectic week at the winter meetings, the Phillies have added depth to their outfield.

The Phillies made a waiver claim Friday, scooping up lefty-hitting Jake Cave from the Baltimore Orioles. Cave, who turns 30 Sunday, is a .235/.297/.411 hitter with 33 homers and a 93 OPS+ in 335 games over parts of five seasons with the Minnesota Twins.

A bigger move might be forthcoming. With the winter meetings set to open Monday in San Diego, a source said the Phillies remain focused on the four elite free-agent shortstops: Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa, and Dansby Swanson. The team intends to meet with each of them, according to a report by The Athletic.

It’s unclear how quickly the Phillies will move in making a contract offer to one of the shortstops. But president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is known to be aggressive when he identifies a specific need. With the Boston Red Sox, he pursued top-of-the-rotation pitching and acquired David Price and Chris Sale in December of 2016 and 2017, respectively.

“We’re going to push the needle and try to win,” Dombrowski said a few weeks ago. “I mean, we’re close, right? We’re going to do what we can to make our club a championship-caliber club.”

In allocating a 40-man roster spot to Cave, the Phillies added an extra left-handed hitter who can play all three outfield positions. With Bryce Harper expected to miss at least a few months while recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery, Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh are the Phillies’ lone lefty-hitting outfielders.

Cave split this season between triple A and the majors, batting .213/.260/.384 with 49 strikeouts in 164 at-bats for the Twins. The Orioles claimed him off waivers in October.