Phillies Acquire Valentin, Release Reyes

The first player to be named later from the August 7 Roberto Hernandez trade has been selected. Second baseman Jesmuel Valentin will be headed to the Philadelphia Phillies. Valetin, who turned 20 on May 12, was a supplemental first-round selection of the Dodgers in 2012 at 51st overall. Valentin is hitting .282/.352/.433 for the Single-A Great Lakes Loons. Each one of Valetin’s triple-slash numbers are well above Midwest League average (.252/.323/.370) and is the Midwest League’s most productive second baseman according to wRC, wRC+, wRAA, and wOBA.

In an unrelated move, the Phillies released starting pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes. Reyes, 29, was 1-3 with a 10.45 ERA for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in five starts.

Analysis: The Hernandez trade has the potential to be a solid one for the Phillies. I did not anticipate Hernandez, who was exactly replacement-level for the Phillies, to be traded for much but the first piece of this deal is promising. Valentin is currently the best second baseman in the Midwest League and has a fine combination of speed and power. It will be interesting to see how aggressive the Phils get with Valentin’s initial placement for the final few weeks of the season. As is, Valentin is likely better than both Angelo Mora