According to ESPN.com, the Phillies have talked to a number of teams, including the Boston Red Sox, about the possibility of dealing Werth for prospects.
Boston could certainly use Werth, a right-handed power bat and excellent defender, while three of its top offensive players — Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia and Victor Martinez — remain on the DL.
Werth is a nine-year veteran and made the NL All-Star team in 2009, finishing the year with career highs in home runs (36), doubles (26), RBIs (99), walks (91), runs (98), hits (153) and OPS (.879). So far in 2010, Werth is hitting .283 with 13 homers and 29 doubles.
Werth currently plays right field for the Phillies, but has plenty of experience playing center and left. With one of the best arms in the game, Werth had six outfield assists in 2009 — a number that would most likely be higher if anyone dared to run on him.
The 31-year-old is going to be a free agent after the season and should command top dollar on the market. Werth, along with Rays left fielder Carl Crawford, will be among the top free-agent outfielders in 2010.
All that said, should the Red Sox trade for Werth?
According to a team official from a club the Phillies spoke with, the Phils will only move the slugger if "they get exactly what they want. They won't do it just to get rid of him," ESPN.com reports.
In a nutshell, that means the Red Sox would have to give the Phillies a big-name prospect. Michael Bowden could be a possibility, since the Phillies are looking for young pitching.
So is Werth worth it?
Theo Epstein is probably asking himself the same question.
