Grading Phillies’ Tanner Banks trade at the MLB trade deadline

Entering deadline day, the Philadelphia Phillies had been in a major slump, their worst of the season. Playing to a record of 3-7 following the All-Star break, fans were pleading for a major upgrade from president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

While the splash acquisition never came, Dombrowski and company made significant upgrades in the back-end of the bullpen, including 32-year-old left-handed reliever Tanner Banks from the Chicago White Sox.

Grading Phillies’ Tanner Banks trade at the MLB trade deadline

The Phillies sent middle infielder William Bergolla to Chicago in the deal. Bergolla, 19, was the Phillies' No. 11 prospect. In his three years in the Phillies system, Bergolla reached High-A Jersey Shore, hitting .292 with a .720 OPS and only one home run.

With the same name as his father, and former major leaguer William Bergolla Sr., the young shortstop will slide in as the White Sox's No. 15 prospect.

The Venezuelan excels in making contact and limiting strikeouts, as seen by his sub-9.0 percent strikeout percentage. While he has tools and potential, with an infield such as the Phillies that consists of three All-Stars — two signed to long-term deals as well as fan-favorites and young established major leaguers — there's not much value that Bergolla could bring for close to another half-decade.

Dombrowski and the Phillies front office saw that the most value that Bergolla could add to the organization was being shipped out for a more immediate, and more valuable player.

Phillies acquire Tanner Banks from the Chicago White Sox

The Phillies bullpen has been struggling in comparison to the beginning of the season.

A unit that was once the best in baseball has dropped its ERA to 4.07 on the year, good for 16th best in MLB. While they added one of the best closers in baseball in Carlos Estévez, they weren't done there.

Banks, 32, pitched in parts of three seasons with the White Sox, primarily out of the bullpen. Through 108 professional games, the lefty has thrown 162 innings, striking out 155 batters and pitching to a 3.89 ERA. In all three of his MLB seasons, Banks' ERA+ has been positive, finishing as high as 131 in his rookie campaign.

Banks has five pitches but works primarily with his slider (32.6 percent) and fastball (29.5 percent). While his fastball has positive run value, ranking in the 60th percentile, his offspeed has been underwhelming, ranking in the 15th percentile for breaking run value and the ninth percentile for offspeed run value.

On the surface, Banks' stats look mediocre, but the Phillies have concocted a unique role for him to maximize his success in red pinstripes.

In 2024, right-handed hitters have hit .308 with an .849 OPS off Banks, while left-handed hitters are hitting only .184 with a .492 OPS. Banks will take over the void that Gregory Soto left when he was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles.

The University of Utah alum is an upgrade over Soto, who was very shaky with the Phillies. Banks also gives manager Rob Thomson another length option, allowing the other high-leverage pitchers, such as Hoffman and Strahm, to stick to their one-inning outings.

The overall trade is a win for the Phillies. While they are losing a prospect with high upside, it's uncertain and unpredictable when that value could translate at the major league level, not to mention being blocked at almost every position in the infield.

When looking at the trade in the grand scheme of things, it's a direct upgrade to the major league team and the minor leagues. When you include the second trade with the Orioles, the Phillies upgraded to a more highly-touted prospect who could bring value to the club sooner.

The underlying brilliance of this trade is the value that relievers were returning in other trades at the deadline. Pitchers like Tanner Scott and Trevor Rogers cost their new teams big hauls, while the Phillies got a lefty specialist at a fraction of the price.

Phillies fans were hoping for a big splash from the front office, and while Tanner Banks isn't going to win you a World Series, he is absolutely a player who can pitch big innings, or even big at-bats in the postseason against some of the best lefties in the game.

Trade Grade: B+