On Wednesday, the Phillies announced that they had traded for former top prospect Cristian Pache from the Oakland A’s. Here’s all you need to know.
Phillies trade for Cristian Pache
Spring Training ended on Tuesday. Phillies fans were waiting in anticipation for the start of the 2023 season. No one expected a trade out of the blue. But, that’s what Dave Dobrowski and the Phillies did.
Rhys Hoskins was moved to the 60-Day IL to make room for Cristian Pache on the roster. He will be on the roster for Opening Day.
Who is Cristian Pache?
Pache was a consensus top-20 prospect in baseball before the 2021 season. While his defense has been solid in CF, Pache has struggled to hit in the majors. He has a .156 batting average and .439 OPS in 115 major league games.
Cristian Pache is only 24-years-old still. The Phillies must believe that hitting coach Kevin Long can work his magic on the young outfielder. Brandon Marsh was hitting just .226 when the Phillies traded for him last season. After coming to the Phillies, Marsh hit .288 with a .773 OPS.
The Phillies sent RHP Billy Sullivan to Oakland in the trade. Sullivan had a 4.59 ERA in 51 IP. He did show good strikeout numbers with a 13.6 K/9. He did have a high walk rate at 6.4 BB/9.
This trade seems to mean Dalton Guthrie will start the year in Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Guthrie struggled this spring, hitting .234. He did hit .333 in limited action for the Phillies in 2022. Guthrie had an impressive .302 average at the AAA level last year, perhaps another stint will prepare him for the transition.
The Phillies are back in action tomorrow when they kick off their 2023 regular season campaign against the Texas Rangers. Be sure to sign up to our FREE Daily Newsletter for the latest Phillies updates.
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
