Philadelphia Phillies Cap Exciting Trade Deadline with New Direction

The Philadelphia Phillies had a relatively quiet trade deadline, making two deals to bolster their pitching staff and their infield depth.

The outfield bat they were reportedly hoping to acquire didn’t materialize. But, they Phillies managed to bring in two players that could help them challenge for a National League Wild Card berth.

Here’s the impact of each deal.

Phillies acquire RHP Michael Lorenzen from Tigers for INF Hao-Yu Lee

The Phillies needed another starting pitcher, and Lorenzen gives them a right-hander with a solid track record this season. He has a 3.58 ERA and a 5-7 record in 18 starts. His 1.098 WHIP is the second-best of his career. Only his 1.080 WHIP in 2016 with Cincinnati — as a reliever — is better. He has a 6.5 percent walk rate and strikes out nearly eight hitters per nine innings.

The one thing to watch is Lorenzen’s innings. He’s thrown 105.2 innings this season, the second-most of his career. He threw 113.1 innings in his rookie season with Cincinnati in 2015. This is just the second season he’s thrown more than 100 innings.

The Phillies expect to start Lorenzen on Thursday and use a six-man rotation before the next off-day, per The Athletic. After that, Lorenzen could remain in the rotation or move into relief, where he has extensive experience (269 of his 331 appearances are in relief).

Lee was the Phillies’ No. 5 prospect, a multi-positional infielder who was batting .283 at High Class-A. The Phillies gave up some organizational depth to get a pitcher that can be a free agent after the season.

Phillies acquire INF Rodolfo Castro from Pirates for LHP Bailey Falter

Castro is an ‘in case of emergency break glass’ kind of middle infielder, who will sub for Trea Turner and Bryson Stott when needed. The third-year pro was slashing .228/.317/.355/.672 for the Pirates and is a free agent after this season. He’ll slide into Josh Harrison’s role after he was designated for assignment.

For Philly, this deal may have been as much about getting something for Falter, who is a free agent after this season and went 6-4 last year for the Phillies during their World Series run. He went 0-7 before he was set to Triple-A in May, and with pitchers in the pipeline like Mick Abel, Griff McGarry and, eventually, Andrew Painter, the Phillies may have seen a chance to move on from Falter and get something in return.

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