Phillies acquire pitching prospect Rodolfo Sanchez from Rays

The Phillies have acquired prospect RHP Rodolfo Sanchez from the Rays

The Philadelphia Phillies have received their first acquisition through trade of the offseason — as part of a deal they made during the 2020 season that sent right-handed reliever Edgar Garcia to the eventual American League champion Tampa Bay Rays.

A few years ago they traded a Sanchez pitching prospect to the Miami Marlins — the now well-known Sixto Sanchez. Now, they are getting one back from another Florida MLB team. On Thursday, the Phillies announced that they have acquired right-handed pitching prospect Rodolfo Sanchez from the Rays as the player to be named later, completing the mid-August trade.

Sanchez, 20, last pitched professionally in the 2019 season with the short-season Hudson Valley Renegades, a low-A Rays affiliate. Spanning 13 starts, the Dominican Republic native went 3-2 with a 3.41 ERA, 1.184 WHIP, and 57-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 63 1/3 innings.

Combined through 44 professional appearances in the Rays system, Sanchez went 14-6 with a 3.03 ERA, along with 154 strikeouts in 160 1/3 frames.

Garcia, 24, had yet to appear in the 2020 season with the Phillies before he was dealt on August 18. The fellow Dominican Republic native had gone 2-0 with a 5.77 ERA, 45-26 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and 1.641 WHIP spanning 37 appearances and 39 innings in red pinstripes as a rookie in 2019.

Garcia made four appearances with the Rays following the trade, allowing four runs in 3 1/3 innings en route to a 10.80 ERA and 2.100 WHIP. He did not appear in the postseason for the Kevin Cash-led squad.

Before he was traded to the Rays, the Phillies designated Garcia for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot for top hitting prospect Alec Bohm, who is currently a 2020 National League Rookie of the Year Award finalist.

Sanchez seems to have decent potential to develop into a solid, big-league arm in a few years. For now, however, the Phillies will need to make several more moves to improve their roster heading into the 2021 season. Free agency officially got underway last Sunday.