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USATSI

The Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to trade outfielder Adam Haseley to the Chicago White Sox.The Phillies will get right-handed pitching prospect McKinley Moore from the White Sox to complete the deal, the teams announced Tuesday. 

The interesting and, frankly, pretty funny twist here is that on Monday, manager Tony La Russa said that any White Sox fans wanting the team to acquire help for right field from outside the organization "are probably not White Sox fans." 

Well, here comes Haseley. 

Haseley, 25, was the eighth overall pick out of the University of Virginia by the Phillies in 2017. He debuted in 2019 and has 355 career MLB plate appearances. He's hit .264/.322/.373 (82 OPS+) and posted a 1.5 career WAR in that time. 

There's a reason La Russa was discussing right field with reporters. The White Sox won the AL Central last season with relative ease and are the odds-on favorites again. Yet right field looks like a problem area and simply adding Haseley doesn't wholly solve it. The 25-year-old Haseley gives them a lefty bat in the mix with Adam Engel (right-handed hitter) and Leury García (switch hitter), but there are no sure things in terms of positive production there beside high-upside center fielder Luis Robert and left fielder Eloy Jiménez. 

On the Phillies' end, the corner outfield spots are plenty covered with reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper in right and the Kyle Schwarber/Nick Castellanos combo taking LF and DH. Odúbel Herrera is hurt to start the season, so it appears the path is clear for Matt Vierling and Mickey Moniak to get a shot in center field, possibly as a platoon. 

Moore, 23, was the White Sox's 14th-round pick out of Arkansas-Little Rock in 2019. In 37 games between Class-A and High-A last season, he had a 4.20 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 59 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings. 

It's rare to see a deal like this between two hopeful contenders this late in spring training, but it happens when there's a match like this. The White Sox needed some depth for right field and the Phillies must have felt they were good to go without Haseley, possibly as a vote of confidence for Moniak and/or Vierling. It also opens up a 40-man roster spot for someone like infield prospect Bryson Stott.