2 Phillies trades deadline deals continuing to pay off, 1 starting to age poorly
Looking back at what the Philadelphia Phillies did around last summer’s MLB trade deadline, we see an aggressive front office that helped to catapult them to the World Series. The Phillies were unafraid of adding and subtracting from the organization. They loaded up and improved multiple spots on the roster.
The Phillies continue to benefit from two of those trades which have thus far looked like they are winners. However, the results of another one of those trade deadline deals is beginning to age poorly.
1) Phillies trade continuing to pay off: Brandon Marsh for Logan O’Hoppe
The Phillies had one of the game’s best catching prospects on the farm last year. The problem was, with one of the league’s best catchers in the early part of his new contract, there wasn’t much of a need. In center field the Phillies didn’t have too many favorable options. This is where they took a big swing and swapped Logan O’Hoppe for Brandon Marsh.
The outlook for O’Hoppe remains a positive one. Now with the Los Angeles Angels, he’s currently on the IL but very much in the mix to become a contributing factor when he returns and for many more years to come. The exact same should be said about Marsh.
A lesser known outfielder for the Angels last season, he arrived in Philadelphia and batted .288/.319/.455 down the stretch for his new team. He has been even better in 2023. Through 117 plate appearances, Marsh is a .314/.402/.578 hitter with a league-best 4 triples, another 4 home runs, and a much better outlook as an everyday center fielder. His defense is imperfect but getting better. Against lefties, he has posted a .31/.387/.679 slash line after 31 trips to the plate.
Credit the Phillies scouts for seeing Marsh’s upside. This wasn’t a genius move. What makes it so notable is how quickly Marsh became entrenched as a core member of the Phillies lineup. Although we often find him hitting near the bottom of the order, he may prove himself to be top of the lineup material.
Marsh doesn’t even become arbitration eligible until the 2025 season with free agency even further away, arriving after the 2027 campaign.
2) Phillies trade continuing to payoff: Edmundo Sosa for JoJo Romero
An even quieter Phillies trade from last summer was the swap with the St. Louis Cardinals which brought Edmundo Sosa to town in exchange for lefty pitcher JoJo Romero. Romero never could latch onto a roster spot with the Phillies. When the trade went down, he had pitched 21.2 innings in the big leagues and was the owner of a 7.89 ERA. He has been better with the Cardinals. The success may soon wear out.
Sosa, on the other hand, is playing much better baseball for the Phillies. He arrived last year with a lifetime .245/.318/.350 slash line. In his first 52 games with the Phillies he has hit .311/.340/.530. The Phillies landed an entirely different player than the guy in St. Louis. He was an important role player for the club last year. This season, he has been able to step up in a time of need.
The season-ending injury to Rhys Hoskins and IL stint for Darick Hall shortly after Opening Day forced the Phillies to use their depth. One of the common choices they’ve gone with is moving Alec Bohm across the diamond to first base and allowing Sosa to start at third base. It has been a remarkably productive decision. Although the original intention of having Sosa on the roster was to provide them with defense, his bat has done enough talking to secure starts.
The Phillies don’t have to worry about Sosa hitting free agency until after the 2026 season.
3) Phillies trade beginning to age poorly: David Robertson for Ben Brown
Adding David Robertson in a swap with the Chicago Cubs last year felt like a no-brainer for Philadelphia. He proved during his time in Chicago as a closer that he was officially back. Although frustrating at times, Robertson brought some much-needed stability to a group of relievers who often found themselves lost.
The downside to this trade is that it was purely a rental. Robertson is now with the rival New York Mets putting up elite closer numbers. More notable is how Ben Brown, the minor league pitcher the Phillies traded for Robertson, has performed with his new organization.
The 23-year-old was drafted in the 33rd round back in 2017 and was never in the same class as some of the current Phillies pitching prospects. He was pitching well in High-A at the time of the trade, but something seems to have clicked for Brown in 2023. Brown was 2-0 with a 0.45 ERA in four starts in Double-A before a recent promotion to Triple-A. He has only made one start there but tossed 5.2 innings of one-run ball while striking out 7.
Brown is on his way to becoming a Phillies prospect we wish the team never did trade. Unfortunately, because the Phillies didn’t get it done in 2022 and Robertson is now long gone, this trade is bound to get a little more painful.
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