John Mayberry Jr. Traded to Blue Jays

Outfielder John Mayberry Jr. was traded late Sunday night to the Blue Jays for third baseman Gustavo Pierre.

Mayberry had just arrived in New York earlier today and was set to be activated from the DL. He hasn’t played a game since July 20.

He hit .242/.304/.429 in 500 career games for the Phillies. He’s 30 years old now, and had no real future with the Phils, outside of being a bench player.

One thing he was good at was being a pinch-hitter. In 113 plate appearances as a PH, Mayberry hit .295/.345/.505 with six home runs and 20 RBIs.

Still, the fact that the Phillies were able to get anything at all in return for Mayberry is a surprise, although I’m not so sure that Pierre is the type of return that was worth it. The move will likely open up a spot for an extra September call-up.

Mayberry was drafted by the Rangers in 2005 and traded to the Phillies following the 2008 season for Greg Golson in Ruben Amaro Jr.’s first move as GM. Here’s a write up from Baseball America on the trade at the time.

His father, John Mayberry Sr., also played for the Blue Jays from 1978-1982.