The first shoe has dropped in the Phillies trade deadline journey
Reliever Pat Neshek has been traded by the Phillies to the Colorado Rockies, according to the teams involved.
Philadelphia will receive three minor league players, including the Rockies #21 rated prospect, infielder Jose Gomez. Minor leaguer pitchers J.D. Hammer and Alejandro Requena are also included in the deal for Neshek.
The Phillies lone All-Star, Neshek may go down as Matt Klentak’s best acquisition of the offseason after the Phillies acquired the reliever from Houston for a player to be named later or cash.
In 43 games Neshek posted a 1.12 ERA with 45 strikeouts for the Phillies. A fun, energetic player in the clubhouse Neshek always kept things interesting with his autograph collection and unique pitching style.
Gomez, 20-years-old, who looks to be the major prospect coming over in the deal, is currently on the disabled list in Single-A. He’s hitting .324 with four home runs, 20 doubles, and three triples, and has 18 stolen bases this season playing second, third, and shortstop.
Alejandro Requena, also 20-years-old, is having a fantastic season as a right-handed starter in Single-A with a 2.85 ERA in 19 starts. His 97 strikeouts to just 25 walks are intriguing, but nine home runs will be something the Phillies look at once he’s in the system.
J.D. Hammer was the Rockies 24th round draft pick last year out of Marshall University, continuing the Phillies trend of acquiring pitchers coming out of college. He’s reached as high as A+ ball, and has 47 strikeouts in 30 innings with seven saves.
It’s a decent haul for a 36-year-old pitcher that will likely only be in Colorado through the season. Matt Klentak is setting the team up well with a quality infielder that can hit, as well as two young righties in the lower levels of the organization.
Colorado was rumored to be in on a veteran right-handed reliever, something we talked about this morning with Neshek being a possibility.