Phillies Trade for Bench Depth

Today the Phillies traded for outfielder/left-handed-bat-off-the-bench Michael Tucker. They must have liked what they saw in his 0-1 performance earlier this week while in San Francisco. On the year he’s hitting .241 with five home runs, 33 RBIs and an OBP of .317 in 249 at-bats. He can play any position in the outfield, but most importantly bolsters the bench for the stretch run. Ramon Martinez has been hitting well, but Tomas Perez has not been as clutch as last year. Tucker will definitely be an asset here and has veteran experience.

Going to the Giants in the deal is 19-year-old right-handed pitching prospect Kelvin Pichardo who was playing for Clearwater. 

Obviously it is too early to completely assess the trade but I like that it was intended to help the Phillies now.  By taking a 2-0 loss today in Arizona the Phils lead is down to a half game in the Wild Card.  There is a magic number counter over at Balls Sticks and Stuff if you’re interested, but I’m not going to look at it until at least after Labor Day. 

I had planned on posting some pictures from Veteran’s Stadium’s final days, but we had to literally “Stop the Presses!” at the announcement of this blockbuster deal.  Look for some treasured memories in the next day or so.  

Don’t forget the Phils are on ESPN’s game of the week Sunday night.  A big win could go a long way in showing a lot of people that this team is legitimate playoff contender.  It could also instill some confidence as the Fightins’ turn the corner on this long road trip.  Go Phils!