Phillies' Andrew McCutchen: Agrees to deal with Phillies
Rotowire
26M ago
McCutchen agreed to a three-year, $50 million contract with the Phillies on Tuesday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
McCutchen will be returning to Pennsylvania -- albeit with a different team -- after spending time with the Giants and Yankees in 2018. The veteran outfielder hit a combined .255/.368/.424 with 20 homers and 14 stolen bases across 155 games between San Francisco and New York. He should immediately step into a starting role for the Phillies, hitting in a favorable spot in the order.
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Phillies' Cesar Hernandez: Battled through broken foot
Rotowire
1D ago
Hernandez played with a broken foot for much of the second half of the season after fouling a pitch off his foot in July, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.
The injury wasn't serious enough to require surgery and has since healed, general manager Matt Klentak said Tuesday. The effect of the injury can be seen in the second baseman's stats. Through July 20, he was hitting .273/.381/.386 with 14 steals, but after that date he swiped just five bags while hitting .223/.319/.326. If the Phillies trust that his second-half struggles were purely injury-related, Hernandez could return to a spot near the top of the team's lineup in 2019.
Alvarez was traded from the Angels to the Phillies on Thursday in exchange for Luis Garcia, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Alvarez was one of his team's top relievers in 2018, ending the year with a 2.71 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with a 59:22 K:BB over 63 innings. The Phillies figure to deploy the 29-year-old lefty in plenty of high-leverage spots when the 2019 campaign rolls around.
Pazos was traded with shortstop Jean Segura and pitcher Juan Nicasio from the Mariners to the Phillies in exchange for first baseman Carlos Santana and shortstop J.P. Crawford on Monday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
The southpaw was a solid piece in the Mariners' bullpen last season, producing a 2.88 ERA and 19 holds. His 8.1 K/9 left a bit to be desired, but he counteracted it with a career-best 2.7 BB/9. Pazos figures to act as the top left-handed reliever for his new team, though his relatively low strikeout rate and his 4.74 ERA away from Safeco Field last season limit his fantasy appeal.
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Phillies' Juan Nicasio: Traded to Phillies
Rotowire
9D ago
Nicasio (knee) was traded from Seattle to Philadelphia along with Jean Segura for Carlos Santana and J.P. Crawford on Monday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Nicasio battled a knee injury throughout 2018 and struggled to a 6.00 ERA in 42 innings, but his underlying numbers are quite promising and he's expected to be good to go in 2019 following a cleanup procedure. His 2.99 FIP was a near match for the 2.98 FIP he posted in 2017, and he walked an incredibly low 2.7 percent of batters while striking out a career-high 29.0 percent. If he experiences positive regression back towards his peripherals in 2019, he could be in contention for a high-leverage role in a Phillies bullpen which lacks an established hierarchy, though he's unlikely to have an inside shot on the closer role.
Phillies' Anthony Swarzak: Heading to Philadelphia via Seattle
Rotowire
9D ago
Swarzak is part of a pair of trades expected to be finalized shortly, sending him to Philadelphia by way of Seattle, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
Swarzak will first be sent to Seattle along with Jay Bruce, Jarred Kelenic, Justin Dunn and Gerson Bautista in exchange for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. He'll then be flipped on to the Phillies along with Jean Segura, with the Mariners getting J.P. Crawford and Carlos Santana in return. Both moves are awaiting the completion of physicals. Swarzak posted ERAs north of 5.50 in two of the last three years, but if he can recapture the form that saw him record a 2.33 ERA in 2017, he could potentially fill a high-leverage role in the Phillies' bullpen.
