Phillies Trade Grades: Who won the Rodolfo Castro trade?
The Philadelphia Phillies traded LHP Bailey Falter to the Pittsburgh Pirates for INF Rodolfo Castro.
The Philadelphia Phillies traded LHP Bailey Falter to the Pittsburgh Pirates for INF Rodolfo Castro.
The Phillies have acquired INF Rodolfo Castro from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for LHP Bailey Falter, Phillies President of Baseball Operations David Dombrowski announced today.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 1, 2023
Rodolfo Castro is a 24-year-old utility infielder who is a switch hitter. He has played parts of three season for the Pirates and has a career slash line of .226/.299/.695. While on the surface that is not very impressive, when you take a deeper look it makes more sense why the Phillies are taking a shot on him. In 109 plate appearances against left-handed pitching this year, he is hitting .290/.368/.906 with six homeruns which is exactly what the Phillies need from a utility bench bat. This year he has played at shortstop, second base and third base displaying his versatility in the field. He fits the exact role that Josh Harrison left with him being designated for assignment. As Dombrowski seemingly likes, Castro is a controllable asset as he doesn’t even reach his first arbitration year until 2026. Phillies fans may remember Castro, good or bad, as the guy who slid into third base while his cell phone popped out of his pants.
On the Phillies side, they say good bye to the left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter. The 26-year-old spent three season with the Phillies as starter depth and partial relief pitcher. He was given a chance at the start of the 2023 season to be the fifth starter in the rotation but he did not excel in that role and was sent to AAA. He had a role in the Phillies playoff push and World Series run last year as a spot starter who performed admirably when called upon. Hopefully he is able to get a chance with the big league team with the Pirates.
Not officially a part of this deal but the Josh Harrison demotion put the writing on the wall that the Phillies were going to make a trade for a right-handed bat who can play multiple positions. Though Harrison is known for being a great presence in the clubhouse, his play on the field left a lot to be desired. It will be nice to see a new face in the clubhouse who will be eager to prove he fits on this team.
Grade – Solid B when you factor in that the Phillies traded from a position of depth, they took on a long-term young asset who can hit against left-handed pitching and they moved away from the aging and low producing Josh Harrison.