Phillies Trade Alec Asher to Baltimore for Player to Be Named Later

Phillies general manager Matt Klentak is moving on from a piece of the Cole Hamels trade

One of the six players acquired in the Phillies trade with Texas involving Cole Hamels is being moved back to the American League.

Multiple news outlets have reported the Phillies have traded pitcher Alec Asher to the Baltimore Orioles. Philadelphia will receive a player to be named later in return for the 25-year-old starter.

Moving Asher allows the Phillies to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Brock Stassi, Daniel Nava, or another non-roster invitee in major league camp.

The trade was the second move of the day made by the Phillies, who released veteran Chris Coghlan Tuesday morning.

Asher was the second prospect acquired in the Hamels trade to make his major league debut in Philadelphia, arriving one week after Jerad Eickhoff. The righty struggled in 2015, finishing with a 0-6 record with a 9.31 ERA in seven starts.

After starting the 2016 season in Triple-A Lehigh Valley Asher was suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

Asher made his return to the big leagues in September and looked much improved in his five starts. Whether or not the PEDs had any effect on his performance is purely speculation. His season culminated in a 2.28 ERA with 13 strikeouts in over 27 innings of work.

Asher is the second player from the Hamels trade to no longer be in the organization. Veteran pitcher Matt Harrison, who was added to the trade simply to lighten the salary hit brought on by Hamels’ six-year $144 million contract. Harrison, who has not pitched since 2015 due to a back injury, was released in November without ever throwing a pitch for the team.

Asher’s trade leaves Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro, Jake Thompson, and Eickhoff as the lone assets brought in by the Hamels trade, orchestrated by former general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.

Next: Andrew Knapp Appears to Have Earned the Backup Catcher Job

With an opening on the 40-man roster the Phillies have more flexibility with opening day less than a week away. More moves are expected as the team attempts to narrow their major league roster down to 25 players.