In an attempt to remain relevant in the National League Playoff race, the Philadelphia Phillies have pulled off multiple deals ahead of th Tuesday MLB trade deadline.
Sitting at 55-47 on the season, it was important for Philadelphia to find upgrades throughout the roster. It did that in acquiring reliever David Robertson and defensive-minded outifielder Brandon Marsh in two different deals immediately ahead of the deadline.
Philadelphia picked up Robertson from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for young pitcher Ben Brown. It then acquired Marsh from the Los Angeles Angels for catcher Logan O’Hoppe.
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Robertson comes over from Chicago after posting a stellar 2.23 ERA and 1.04 WHIP during what has been a rebound 2022 campaign for the former All-Star reliever. He’s also struck out 51 batters in 40.1 innings.
Robertson, 37, will now be a late-inning option for Philadelphia. He teams up with closer Corey Knebel and an impressive Seranthony Dominguez to form an awesome trio.
As for Marsh, the 24-year-old is among the best defensive outfielders in the game. He primarily plays left field, but can also substitute at the other two outfield positions. He is 91st percentile in Sprint Speed, 98th percentile in Outs Above Average, meaning that Marsh fills a major need as a defensive-minded outfielder moving forward. Just as important, he’s only 24 and is under team control through the 2027 season.
The price wasn’t cheap to add Marsh to the mix. The Philadelphia Phillies give up their No. 3 prospect in catcher Logan O’Hoppe to Los Angeles. Ben Brown entered the season ranked 26th in Philadelphia’s farm. But the pitcher has been dominating lower-level competition and was just promoted to Double-A.