Phyllis “Working on a Trade” by Gregory Soto

The Phillies continued to bolster their roster after being defeated in the World Series last year, gaining a left hand Gregory Soto and utility man Cody Clemens in a deal with the tigers. The two teams announced the deal this afternoon. Philadelphia will be sent Nick MattoonAnd Matt Ferling And Donnie Sands Back to Detroit.

The deal adds a quality left-arm reliever to Philadelphia’s table, which has already added a left-handed teammate Matt will see them and right hand Craig Kimbrell off season. He also continues his World Championship runner-up showing to have even better success in 2023, as they also added Taeguan Walker And Tria Turner In a productive winter for Dave Dombrowski’s team.

Soto, Feb. 28, worked a 3.28 ERA over 60 1/3 innings for the Tigers last season, hitting a batter with 22.8% for a walk rate of 12.9%. In the process, he tallied a team-high 30 tackles. The strike rate is somewhat of a decline for Soto, standing at 27.5% just a year ago.

After being signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2012, Soto came through the Tigers’ system as a starting pitcher. He would make seven starts with Detroit in his rookie year in 2019, but he slumped to an 8.49 ERA and has been a reliever since then. He has found much success in the role, working to a 3.57 ERA over 181 1/3 relief innings, including earning trips to the All Star Game in 2021 and 2022.

Left-handed batters batted only . 225/.328/.277 against Soto, but perhaps of note is the fact that he gave up only one run in his career to a left-handed hitter. While he handles shutout duties in Detroit, he joins a much stronger staff in Philadelphia, so he might see fewer chances in the ninth inning, but anyway they have the perfect arm in the late innings to shut out any left-handed powerhouse threats late on. in the game.

Soto mixes a fastball touchdown in triple digits with an 89-mph slider, plus a very occasional changeup. As evidenced by his career average of 13.1%, walking was Soto’s biggest problem during his career. Even with his below-average walk rate, Soto has been a useful relief arm, but if he can tighten up free passes, he’ll have something to thrive on as an elite late arm.

Soto has between three and four years of service time, so the Phillies will pay him that first-year refereeing salary Matt Schwartz appreciates $3.1 million. The Phillies will next referee him by arbitration in the 2024 and ’25 seasons.

The Phillies pen now includes Kimbrel, Soto, and Strahm as well Cerancho DominguezAnd Jose AlvaradoAnd Andrew Pilati And Conor Brogdon. Alvarado and Soto now have two of the toughest left-handed throwers in the game, with both having the ability to hit speeds of 100mph.

They will also capture Klemens, a utility player who first tasted the big leagues in 2022. The son of longtime pitcher Roger, Klemens has slashed just . 145/. 197/. 308 with five runs over 127 plates. appearances for the Tigers in 2022. The 26-year-old hit a more powerful .274/.327/.535 streak at Triple-A.

He has recorded time at first, second, and third base in 2022, as well as some time in left field. Although he was a small sample size, he earned two defensive saves for his work on first and third. Although unlikely to be a regular in Philadelphia, Klemens comes with two minor league options left, so he should be a depth piece/seat.

For the comebacks, Detroit selected three players who were all on Philadelphia’s 40-man roster. Sands is a 26-year-old catcher who got his first taste of the big leagues in 2022, appearing in three games for the Phillies. Acquired by the Yankees last winter, Sands made 57 Triple-A appearances last year, slashing . 309/. 413/. 428 with five home runs. It’s a strong slash, but with JT Realmoto Before him Sands was never likely to get an extended look in the big leagues. her tigers Eric Haas And Jake Rogers as catching options, but Sands will join the mix and could be in line to serve as a backup.

Mattoon, 25, is a utility quarterback who appeared in 35 games with the Phillies last year, slashing . 250/. 341/. 514 with five home runs in over 85 games. This was a solid follow-up to his rookie year in 2021, when he hit . 256/. 323/. 385 over 131 plate appearances. He came through the Phillies system as a shortstop but bounced around the field and off in the majors. Javier Baez He’s been booked at shortstop for the Tigers, but they don’t currently have a clear choice at third, so Mattoon could see plenty of time there as the Tigers look to see if his strong showing in 2022 can carry over a full season.

Ferling, 26, ended up making 357 plate appearances for the Phillies last season, compiling a .246/.297/.351 streak with six home runs. He scored 434 2/3 home runs at center, earning -7 defensive saves. Vierling had much better scores at cornerback, earning 1 DRS over 175 innings at right flank. He also scored a handful of innings in the first, second and third. He must compete for a seat in Detroit as the fourth player.

Although there is little prospect of a return to Detroit in the deal, all three players are poised to contribute to the major league club in 2023. For the Phillies, those three players would have found tough chances in 2023 barring injuries, given the static nature for their competing list. As such, it’s a solid move by Dombrowski to turn on a player who instantly makes the big league roster stronger.

The NL East is shaping up as a tough division in 2023. While the Nationals are in full rebuild mode, and the Marlins appear to be lacking in contention, the Phillies, Mets, and Braves have all been aggressive this winter and will head into the new campaign with ambitions to go all the way.

NBC Sports’ Jim Salisbury first reported to Philadelphia Twitter That the Phillies and Tigers were in business. MLB Network’s John Morosi reported Twitter The two parties were close to a deal involving the five players. Morosi was also the first to report on the Twitter Both sides have agreed to the deal.

Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports.