Phillies Grade the Trade: How’d Matt Klentak do at the trade deadline
Rounding out the Phillies trade deadline moves is Joaquin Benoit crossing the state of Pennsylvania into Pittsburgh. An 11th-hour deal finalized with the Pirates, Philadelphia moved the second of their two veteran bullpen arms acquired over the offseason.
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Benoit was hot and cold as a setup man for the Phillies, and was openly critical of manager Pete Mackanin’s use of the bullpen. The return wasn’t expected to be much with a 4.07 ERA and five home runs allowed in 42 innings of relief.
Luckily the Pirates needed a veteran arm after trading Tony Watson, creating a perfect marriage in the final hours of the deadline.
The 23-year-old McGarry has excelled in A+ ball this year was a closer with 14 saves and an ERA of 1.34 through 31 games. He’s another lottery ticket the Phillies may never see at the next level, but will gladly take a chance on at the low price of Benoit.
. RP. Pirates. JOAQUIN BENOIT. B
It’s a solid move once again by Klentak to get something for a 41-year-old reliever having an average year. He’s going to a team fighting for playoff position as a rental, so his value was never all that high.
Next: What's next for the Phillies after the trade deadline
Overall, Klentak had an above average trade deadline with all four of the Phillies most valuable veterans moving on. As more players are healthy down the stretch the Phillies will table trade discussions through the waiver process,