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The Philadelphia Phillies acquired a Los Angeles Angels center fielder (no, not that one). The Phillies offloaded Brandon Marsh from the Angels before Tuesday’s trade deadline. Jim Bowden of CBS Sports HQ confirmed. Los Angeles will receive catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe in return.
Marsh, 24, was a consensus top-50 prospect as recently as last spring. He’s struggled in the big leagues, though, hitting .239/.299/.354 for 35.7 percent in 163 games and 583 plate appearances over the past two years, so nearly a full season of time. Surely the Phillies hope they can tap into some of the potential that made Marsh a top prospect.
Philadelphia has needed a legitimate center for years now, and if nothing else, Marsh will bring great defense to the table. He played mostly left field with the Angels in deference to Mike Trout, but is a natural center fielder with speed and ballhawk skills. Marsh is a huge upgrade in center field for a Phillies team that has been one of the worst defensive teams in the sport.
In other Phillies trade news, the club brought back veteran righty reliever David Robertson in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. according to The Athletic. Ben Brown, the pitching prospect, is headed to Chicago in a trade. Robertson, 37, signed a two-year, $23 million contract with the Phillies in January 2019, but only pitched 6 2/3 innings during the contract due to injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bullpen seems to be an ongoing need with the Phillies, and Robertson is having a great season, one that made him arguably the most desirable rental reliever at the trade deadline. Phillies interim manager Rob Thompson knows Robertson well from their time with the New Yankees, and Robertson can fill any role (shortstop, setup, middle reliever, etc.).
The Phillies designated both outfielder Odúbel Herrera and reliever Jeurys Familia for assignment after the trades were made.
Brown, 22, has a 3.08 ERA with 105 strikeouts in 73 innings at Single-A this season. He was one of the top breakout prospects in Philadelphia’s system this season. O’Hoppe, 22, owns a .269/.385/.492 batting line with 15 homers in 74 Double-A games. The long-term signing of JT Realmuto made him an easy trade prospect for the Phillies.
The Angels (43-59) and Cubs (41-61) were widely expected to sell before the trade deadline. Los Angeles trading a young player like Marsh is a bit of a surprise, although outfielders are always plentiful in free agency and good young ones are hard to come by.
At 55-47, the Phillies are in the National League’s third and final wild card spot. They haven’t been to the postseason since 2011.
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