Despite currently finding themselves in wild card positioning in the National League East, the Philadelphia Phillies had not been too active leading up to Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline.
Until now. According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Philadelphia has acquired All-Star pitcher Michael Lorenzen from the Detroit Tigers. As part of the package in return, Detroit has reportedly acquired Philadelphia’s No. 5 prospect in that of infielder Hao-Yu Lee.
A converted reliever, Lorenzen is in the midst of his best season as a starter. He has posted a 5-7 record with a 3.58 ERA and 1.11 WHIP thus far on the campaign. It led to the former Cincinnati Reds first-round pick being named a first-time All-Star.
Related: Sportsnaut’s updated MLB trade rumors
Philadelphia Phillies acquire pitching help, Detroit Tigers sell high
Sitting at 57-49 heading into MLB games today, Philadelphia finds itself just a half game ahead of the Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers for the final wild card spot in the National League.
Philadelphia does rank in the top-11 of MLB in ERA. It is also eighth in quality starts and fifth in WHIP. Adding to this strength makes sense, especially if the Phillies are confident they’ll be playing postseason baseball.
Zack Wheeler (8-5 record, 3.74 ERA, 1.11 WHIP), Taijuan Walker (12-4 record, 3.99 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) and Aaron Nola (9-7 record, 4.43 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) head things for the Phillies’ rotation. Adding Lorenzen to the mix can only help.
As for the Tigers, moving off an impending 31-year-old free agent makes sense. The team sits at 47-59 on the campaign and is going nowhere fast.
The headliner heading back to Detroit is the aforementioned Hao-Yu Lee. The 20-year-old second baseman has shown flashes in the minors after coming over from Taiwan. He’s hitting .279 with five homers, 29 RBI, 14 stolen bases and a .762 OPS in two lower-level minor league stops this season.