Phillies trade Luis García to Los Angeles Angels for José Álvarez
The Phillies pulled off another trade prior to the Winter Meetings
The Phillies have traded right-handed relief pitcher Luis Garcia to the Los Angeles Angels for left-handed reliever José Álvarez.
Alvarez is the third reliever acquired by the Phillies this offseason via trade after picking up James Pazos and Juan Nicasio from the Mariners in the Jean Segura trade.
Philadelphia decided not to tender a contract to lefty Luis Avilan, leaving them with Adam Morgan as the only lefty in the bullpen prior to the two trades.
Both Garcia and Alvarez have two more years of arbitration eligibility remaining, but Alvarez is coming off the best season of his young career.
In 76 relief appearances last year Alvarez went 6-4 with a 2.71 ERA and a 1.159 WHIP.
Garcia was often a source of headache for Philadelphia, showing glimmers of “stuff” but never being able to put it together on a consistent basis.
Coming off a career year with a 2.65 ERA Garcia took a major step back for Philadelphia, going 3-1 with a 6.07 ERA and -0.3 WAR in 59 games.
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Alvarez primarily pitched in the seventh inning last year and could be set up for a similar role in Philadelphia. At 29-years-old he’s a much younger and cheaper option compared to Tommy Hunter and Pat Neshek, both of whom Philadelphia paid big bucks last offseason.
Adding both Alvarez and Paxos also spells trouble for the fellow southpaw Morgan, the former top prospect who’s converted to a reliever role. The 28-year-old Morgan had a career-best 3.83 ERA last year for Philadelphia but he walked nearly half as many batters as he struck out.
On the surface, this trade is a win for Matt Klentak as the team moves on from Garcia and adds another lefty to the bullpen.