Phillies trade for former top prospect
Oct 19, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson (59) speaks to the media before the game against the San Diego Padres on game two of the NLCS for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia Phillies are strengthening their roster a bit after being hit with the Rhys Hoskins injury gut punch.
Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports Wednesday that the Phillies have acquired outfielder Cristian Pache in a trade with the Oakland Athletics. Pache will be on the Phillies’ roster to open the season, and the team is sending pitching prospect Billy Sullivan to Oakland as part of the deal.
The 24-year-old Pache is himself a former top prospect who ranked as the 11th-best prospect in Minor League Baseball prior to the 2020 season (when he was in the Atlanta Braves organization). Pache has not been much of an offensive threat to this point of his MLB career. He is a .156 career hitter in 332 total plate appearances over three seasons (including batting .166 in 91 games for the A’s in 2022). But Pache has had a few nice moments of clutch hitting and also possesses phenomenal defensive skills in center field.
Cristian Pache in the clutch! 💪
(MLB x @loanDepot) pic.twitter.com/SEiLyUH08l
— MLB (@MLB) April 16, 2022
Gonna miss watching Cristian Pache flying around CF 🥲pic.twitter.com/gGdRYyCJIY
— The Rickey Henderson of Blogs (@RickeyBlog) March 29, 2023
Don’t run on Braves OF Cristian Pache 😳
(via @MLBPipeline) https://t.co/dsUfWn5D6K
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) March 22, 2021
The Phillies will have to survive the first few months of the season without star outfielder Bryce Harper (elbow), and the season-ending ACL injury to Rhys Hoskins has sent them even further into scramble mode. Fortunately, Pache will add more depth as the team’s latest offseason trade acquisition.