Phillies Trade for Cristian Pache
The Athletics continue to ship off their entire roster, sending outfielder Cristian Pache to the Phillies in exchange for minor league pitcher Billy Sullivan. The Phillies were able to open a roster spot by placing Rhys Hoskins on the 60-day IL list after tearing his ACL in a spring training game.
Pache, once one of the top prospects in all of baseball, just hasn’t quite been able to find his footing in the league. Despite his struggles at the plate, he is an elite defender using his elite speed and arm to post a DRS of 5 in 2022.
The issue is that he couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat. I mean, his offensive stats would make you think pitchers are throwing ping-pong balls during his at-bats. A slash line of .166/.218/.241 in 91 games is frankly disgusting to look at. And his continued struggles at the AAA level paint a bleak future for Pache’s future in the league.
Now, while it sounds like I’m hating on Cristian Pache and the Phillies’ decision to bring him in, I actually really like the move. Or more so the fact that the team got him in exchange for a 24-year-old who posted a 4.59 in AA, a guy who will likely never make it on the Phillies 40-man roster.
For a Phillies team that has struggled with defense in years’ past, Pache should be a great defensive substitution late in games and could help secure some wins with his glove alone.
But who knows, maybe in a loaded Phillies lineup Cristian Pache can find his stroke and turn into a solid hitter. At this point, if he can hit .240 to .250 and steal a lot of bases, I would view it as a huge win. This move certainly helps an area of weakness for Philadelphia. Now, fans just hope that he can turn into the player everyone thought he would be.
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