Philadelphia Phillies Add Another Reliever in Deal with Chicago White Sox

The Philadelphia Phillies pulled off a trade for a solid relief option from the Chicago White Sox.

Jun 13, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Tanner Banks (57) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the tenth inning at T-Mobile Park. / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies ended up adding a left-handed player named "Tanner" at the MLB trade deadline, but it wasn't the one that fans expected.

After losing out on rumored target Tanner Scott to the San Diego Padres, they turned to another option.

Insider Robert Murray of FanSided reported that the Phillies sent infielder William Bergolla to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for lefty reliever Tanner Banks.

Banks has spent three years with the White Sox since making his debut in 2022. He has a career ERA of 3.89 and a WHIP of 1.292. He won't be a closer for Philadelphia, but does add some value out of the bullpen.

The 32-year-old isn't a flamethrower, but has excelled at forcing ground balls and getting strikeouts nonetheless. This season, he's striking out a career-high 10.3 batters per nine innings.

Over the last two months, his ERA is down to 3.52 and batters are slashing just .217/.298/.325 against him during that stretch.

He throws a heavy fastball/slider mix but also offers a very solid cutter as well.

The prospect the Phillies gave up, Bergolla, was the No. 11 prospect in their farm system. He gives shades of Jose Altuve, given his smaller frame in the middle of the infield.

He's slashing .295/.350/.385 in High-A ball this season. He doesn't offer much in terms of power, but can get hits on a regular basis and brings speed to the basepaths.

Banks may not have been the elite reliever option that Philadelphia had hoped for, but should still be a nice add.