PHILADELPHIA – The Phillies have acquired a new corner outfielder.

The club announced on Friday that it has signed longtime Twins outfielder Max Kepler to a one-year contract. Multiple sources told MLB.com that it's a $10 million deal.

Kepler, 31, is looking to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2024, which included patellar tendinitis in his left knee and a hip issue. He posted a .682 OPS in 399 plate appearances in his final season with the Twins.

But when healthy, Kepler has been productive. He posted a .770 OPS and 110 OPS+ from 2019-23 with Minnesota. He slashed .260/.332/.484 with 24 homers, 66 RBIs, an .816 OPS and a 120 OPS+ in 491 plate appearances in 2023. He had a career-high 36 homers and 90 RBIs in 2019.

The Phillies have been looking for outfield help since the end of the season, particularly after non-tendering Austin Hays in November. They’ve also been looking to create a different look to the lineup.

Much has been made about the Phillies’ lineups propensity to chase pitches out of the strike zone and swing and miss. Kepler doesn’t chase. From 2019-23, he ranks 38th out of 202 players in chase rate at 25.2 percent.

Kepler could play left field with Nick Castellanos in right and some combination of Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas in center field. But Kepler has been one of baseball’s best defenders in right field, so perhaps he stays there and Castellanos moves to left, which was the plan when the Phils signed Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber in 2022.

From 2016-24, Kepler ranked first in baseball among right fielders with 57 Outs Above Average. He ranks fourth in Defensive Runs Saved, according to FanGraphs.

This is the second free agent the Phillies have signed this offseason to a Major League contract. Both are one-year contracts. The Phillies signed right-hander Jordan Romano to a one-year, $8.5 million deal on Dec. 9.
Romano, like Kepler, is looking to bounce back following injuries in 2024.

The Romano and Kepler deals indicate the Phillies are being very mindful of their 2025 payroll. Before the Kepler deal, FanGraphs projected the Phillies payroll next year to be $289 million, putting them over the third luxury tax threshold at $281 million.

The third tax carries a 92.5 percent penalty for every dollar spent over $281 million.

Kepler’s deal pushes the Phillies close to the fourth luxury tax threshold at $301 million. Every dollar spent over $301 million is taxed at a 110 percent rate.

It remains to be seen how else the Phillies might try to upgrade their roster before Spring Training opens in February in Clearwater, Fla. Alec Bohm has been mentioned repeatedly in trade rumors, although the Phils insist they are not shopping him. They could use another late-inning reliever, although president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said last week at the Winter Meetings that they are comfortable with the bullpen.

The Phils could use a No. 5 starter, although those types of pitchers typically don’t sign until later in the offseason.

Kepler has spent his entire 10-year career with the Twins. Signed as an international free agent out of Berlin, Germany, in 2009, he started eight consecutive Opening Days in right field for Minnesota, matching Tony Oliva for most in club history. His 1,072 games played are fourth-most among outfielders in Twins history, behind only Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett, Torii Hunter and Oliva.

“I don’t think I could have done much more as a kid from Berlin,” Kepler said in September. “And I’m not trying to prove it to anyone. This is proving to myself what I could have done. I’m truly happy, and yeah, I just wish I could do a little more here now, but it is what it is.”