Phillies Trade for Syndergaard, Marsh, and Robertson

In: Brandon Marsh, David Robertson, Noah Syndergaard

Out: Logan O’Hoppe, Ben Brown, Mickey Moniak, Jadiel Sanchez, Odubel Herrera (DFA), Jeurys Familia (DFA)

The Phillies entered the deadline with a gaping hole in the rotation thanks to Zach Eflin’s knee and a real need for an upgrade on Herrera’s spot in center. Like most contenders, bullpen was always a need, but maybe not the most pressing one. In the three deals they made today they addressed all of those needs directly.

The Marsh for O’Hoppe deal is the one that will define the deadline. O’Hoppe is a really nice prospect. He does a lot of things well, and he really made himself into a good hitter. There is a chance he just makes the Phillies pay, but he has more profiled as a really solid everyday catcher than a star in the making. On the other side, Marsh is sliding down the value scale. A good center field defender, he has been playing left field with Mike Trout manning the middle. Then there is the elephant in the room which is he hasn’t hit in the majors and is currently rocking a strikeout rate over 35%. It is clear the Phillies targeted Marsh, they see a former top 50 overall prospect that fits a real now need for their team (good glove center fielder who can bat left handed), who they think they can fix up. If Marsh is just a good glove, no bat, center fielder then this is probably a bad trade because O’Hoppe had enough value to get them something that could give them more now contribution. It is certainly a risky deal, but it is an out of the box attempt to find some upside and fix a problem, and they could look really smart in a year because Marsh still has 5 more years of team control and is younger than Bryson Stott.

Ben Brown for David Robertson is a move both teams probably make every year. Robertson has really bounced back and is a good, but not elite, closer who has a lot of experience in big situations. He is probably the most “luxury” move the Phillies made, but at the same time they are holding together a good bullpen with Seranthony Dominguez’s repaired UCL and a lot of unexpected performances. The Phillies can use Robertson in a setup role, or let him be the set closer with Dominguez getting the heart of the opposing order. It also gives them more depth to survive the nights when a couple guys are unavailable. I wrote in my midseason piece that Brown was the Phillies most likely trade piece. He has a lot of reliever risk, needs a 40 man spot, and is ascendant in value. I am sure the Phillies would have loved to keep him, but guys like Brown are the price of doing business.

The Phillies last trade of the day was the most obvious need. Noah Syndergaard is not the pitcher he once was, but he is a major league caliber starter, and they needed a body with a better track record than Bailey Falter. Syndergaard is a pure rental and at a monetary cost that probably kept the price down a little bit. The known name here is Mickey Moniak, but given his struggles in the majors and now a crowded center field situation, he was a leading DFA candidate now or in the offseason. The real get here for the Angels is Jadiel Sanchez the Phillies 12th round pick in 2019. Sanchez is a switch hitter who burst onto the scene last year after getting bigger and stronger during the missed season. He makes solid contact with a good approach at the plate. He led the Threshers in exit velocity and was a leader in a lot of contact related metrics. He is growing into some power and has a chance to be an everyday right fielder. Given his distance to the majors (currently on the Threshers IL) and risk, it is a good gamble for the Angels, but easily the price of business for the Phillies.

It was not a deadline where the Phillies gave up nothing, but they also did not gut the system either. They protected Mick Abel, Andrew Painter, and Griff McGarry leaving them with plenty of long term pitching depth, offsetting the lack of a controllable starter in their deadline group. They also retained top young hitter Hao Yu Lee, who will compete with Justin Crawford for most exciting hitting prospect in the system. They still have minor depth in Jhailyn Ortiz, Simon Muzziotti, Nick Maton, Rafael Marchan, and Donny Sands that they will need to figure out something to do with. They have some controllable relief depth in Erik Miller and Francisco Morales. They did also retain Johan Rojas who they will try to get on track again. They are still in a good place to make offseason moves, and to fill some long term holes on the roster. Overall, the Marsh deal is taking a risk that good pay off, but otherwise it was good, solid moves to fill positions of need. With Jean Segura and Bryce Harper due back this month, they are in a good spot to make a charge at the playoffs.