Phillies: Grading every move made at the MLB trade deadline

(Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

Phillies acquire Freddy Galvis from the Orioles

At the last minute, I believe even shortly after the 4 PM deadline on Friday, news broke that the Phillies were bringing back Freddy Galvis, whom they signed as a 16-year-old. He made his debut with them in 2012, and spent the first six seasons of his career in Philadelphia.

During his first stint with the Phillies, Galvis played 642 games, including all 162 games of the 2017 season. He finished those six seasons in Philadelphia with a 2.45/.287/.372 slash line, .659 OPS, 52 home runs, 233 RBI, and 43 stolen bases.

Philly’s current shortstop is Didi Gregorious, who is signed through 2022, but has struggled and been injured this year. He’s only appeared in 55 games and has hit .202/.258/.369 with a .627 OPS over them. He missed games between May 12-July 2, and is only hitting .163/.247/.375 in 23 games since coming off the IL.

Based on nostalgia alone, this trade gets a good grade. Fans seemed happiest about Galvis’ return, and he and the club both celebrated it as a homecoming. The Orioles also sent $250K to cover part of Galvis’ trade bonus, helping the Phillies save a little money, despite their claims that they’d consider going over the luxury tax at the deadline for the first time in franchise history.

Galvis is currently recovering from a quad injury, but is expected to make his (second) Phillies debut in mid-August. He’ll help out an infield that currently has Alec Bohm, Gregorius, and Jean Segura.

In exchange for Galvis, the Orioles received Tyler Burch, a 23-year-old RHP who has pitched in relief at both the Single-A and High-A levels this season. He’s not high-ranked in the Phillies system, so hopefully, this move is low-risk for the Phillies.

First impression grade: B+