Phillies: Grading every move made at the MLB trade deadline
The Philadelphia Phillies were a trade deadline puzzle right down to the final hours of Friday afternoon. Would they buy? Would they sell? Could they pull off a coup? Would anyone want what they had to offer?
Ultimately, the Phillies both underwhelmed and over-performed at the deadline. How is that possible? Because they’re the Phillies. For the last decade, they’ve lived in the middle, that’s how they manage to be really good and perplexingly bad every year since their last division title in 2011.
To unpack and recap this trade deadline, we’re going to grade every move Dave Dombrowski made at the deadline. School may be out for the summer, but we’ve got the Phillies trade deadline report card.
Disclaimer: these are first impression grades. We’re not clairvoyant, so this is based on each players’ past and present, not their (hopefully bright) future.
Phillies acquire Braeden Ogle from the Pirates in exchange for Abrahan Gutierrez
The first move the Phillies made all week came on Friday morning in the form of a minor-league trade: they get pitching prospect Braeden Ogle, and the Pirates get catching prospect Abrahan Gutierrez.
In fairness, the Phillies were set to get starting pitcher Tyler Anderson from the Pirates on Tuesday, but when the Pirates weren’t happy with the medicals of one of the two prospects the Phillies were offering, the trade stalled. The Seattle Mariners seized the opportunity, and by late Tuesday night, Anderson was theirs.
This put a real wrench in the Phillies’ plans for the week, and MLB insiders reported how “Ticked off” the front office was by the way the Anderson trade fell apart, which made it all the more surprising when the Phillies and Pirates made a new deal on Friday.
We won’t know how well this will turn out for a while, though Braeden Ogle could make his debut as early as this season, while Gutierrez has been in Low A. He was originally part of the Anderson deal, so clearly Ben Cherington is high on him.
Ogle has spent all of this year in Triple-A, and his numbers are quite solid, a 3.13 ERA over 24 appearances, and has struck out 42 batters over 31 2/3 innings this season. Like most of the Phillies’ current bullpen, though, Ogle walks too many batters.
Still, overall, this is a low-risk move that adds another pitcher to the Phillies farm system. Now, as is the question with every Phillies arm, can they develop him?
First impression grade: B