Recapping The Philadelphia Phillies 2023 Trade Deadline
The 2023 Major League Baseball trade deadline was on August 1st. As a contending team, the Philadelphia Phillies made a couple of moves to bolster their roster. The team is hoping their new additions can help them as they make a playoff push. Let’s recap what the Phils did on deadline day.
The Phillies First Acquired An All-Star Pitcher
Pitching has been inconsistent for the Phillies throughout the season, so the team acquired 33-year-old starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen from the Detroit Tigers. It is Lorenzen’s ninth season in the MLB and easily his best one yet. The former Cincinnati Red and Los Angeles Angel started 18 games for the Tigers this year going 5-7, with a 3.58 ERA, 83 strikeouts, compared to 27 walks. He earned his first ever All-Star appearance representing the American League.
The Phillies had to give up infield prospect Hao Yu Lee for Lorenzen. Philadelphia could use Lorenzen as a back-end starter or he could help them out of the bullpen. The Phillies already have Zach Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, and Taijuan Walker in their current starting pitcher rotation.
A Utility Player Was Added Next
The second and final move the Phillies made was acquiring infielder Rodolfo Castro from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Castro is just 24 years old and is hitting .226 with 22 home runs and 57 runs batted in through his first three seasons. Philadelphia traded pitcher Baily Falter to get Castro. Falter has struggled in 2023 going 0-7, with a 5.13 ERA in over 40 innings of work.
The Phillies made room for their new infielder by designating veteran Josh Harrison to a minor league assignment. Harrison was batting .204 with 20 strikeouts in 103 plate appearances.
Final Thoughts
Will these moves put the Phillies over the top? They likely won’t, but the two new players that were brought in are upgrades on the roster. Each player should have an opportunity to make a name for themselves as the playoff race heats up.
Philadelphia currently has a 58-49 record and sits in the second to last wildcard playoff spot. However, they are just a half game ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers, and one game ahead of the Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks. The San Francisco Giants hold the first wildcard spot by just half a game.
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