The Athletics have traded outfielder Cristian Pache to the Phillies in trade for minor league right-hander Billy Sullivan, per bulletins from each groups. The Phillies opened a spot on the 40-man roster by inserting first baseman Rhys Hoskins on the 60-day injured checklist.
As soon as one of many sport’s top-ranked general prospects, the now 24-year-old Pache is an elite defender whose bat has but to develop on the sport’s prime ranges. He’s additionally out of minor league choices and has been leapfrogged on Oakland’s depth chart by offseason commerce acquisition Esteury Ruiz, which led supervisor Mark Kotsay to announce earlier within the week that Pache wouldn’t make the roster and that the entrance workplace was exploring potential trades.
They’ve discovered a match to their liking in Philadelphia, who’ll presumably use Pache as a reserve outfielder and maybe a righty-swinging complement to left-handed-hitting heart fielder Brandon Marsh. Pache is a very logical match for the Phils, on condition that he can present a late-game defensive improve over both Kyle Schwarber or Nick Castellanos (both by enjoying a nook himself or by entering into heart and pushing Marsh to a nook).
Pache has at all times been rated as a wonderful defender going again to his early prospect days with Atlanta and that’s held true throughout his time within the majors as properly. He’s already earned +9 Outs Above Common and +4 Defensive Runs Saved in 824 2/3 innings, although Final Zone Ranking does have him barely beneath common. The main difficulty has been on offense, the place he has struggled mightily. In 332 profession plate appearances to date, he’s hit simply .156/.205/.234 for a wRC+ of 26, indicating he’s been 74% worse than the league common hitter. If the Phillies do plan on platooning him with Marsh, that may be the most effective use of skills. He’s produced a satisfactory .214/.267/.337 line in opposition to lefties for a wRC+ of 73, in comparison with a dismal .129/.176/.186 exhibiting in opposition to righties, wRC+ of 4. These are pretty small pattern sizes however there’s maybe some glimmer of hope there.
For the A’s, they initially acquired Pache from Atlanta simply over a yr in the past as a part of the Matt Olson trade. They nonetheless have Shea Langeliers, Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes from that deal, however they certainly hoped to get extra from Pache in 2022 than they ultimately did. He struggled sufficient that they needed to ship him to the minors for just a few months, exhausting his last choice yr. After they acquired Ruiz and squeezed Pache out of normal motion, they determined to pivot and transfer on.
In trade for Pache, the A’s will get Sullivan, a right-handed pitcher who turns 24 subsequent month. He’s spent the previous two years getting work as a reliever, spending all of final yr at Double-A. He tossed 51 innings over 44 appearances at that stage with a 4.59 ERA. His 15% stroll fee could be very regarding, however he additionally struck out 32.1% of batters confronted and acquired floor balls at a strong 45.5% clip. He’ll head over to a brand new group that can undoubtedly be trying to enhance that management with a view to get these earned runs down.
Transferring Hoskins to the 60-day IL was an inevitable formality after he not too long ago tore his ACL and would require surgical procedure. That can nearly definitely end in him lacking your complete 2023 season.
