Philadelphia Phillies Pull Off Slick Trade With Pirates Minutes Before Deadline

The Philadelphia Phillies pulled off a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates just minutes before the MLB trade deadline.

The Philadelphia Phillies made one final trade just minutes before the 6 p.m. ET MLB trade deadline on Tuesday.

Looking for a bat and a utility defender, the Phillies sent left-hander Bailey Falter to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for utilityman Roldolfo Castro according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

At 24 years old, Castro is a career .226/.299/.396 hitter over the course of three seasons. His 2023 MLB season has been right in line with his career numbers but has finally been used as an everyday player.

Philadelphia needed another utility-type player after designating Josh Harrison for assignment to make room for newly acquired starter Michael Lorenzen.

In exchange the Phillies are sending back Falter who has posted a 5.13 ERA over 40.1 innings pitched in 2023 at the MLB level. Falter was used as an up-and-down-type player over the course of the last few seasons. 

The lefty had moments of greatness and of mediocrity. It was a fair return for a valuable bench piece. Falter had become expendable pitching depth following the acquisition of Lorenzen.

It was an interesting trade deadline from the Phillies who were not overly aggressive despite Dave Dombrowski manning the helm.

Philadelphia will not try and solidify their Wild Card position and hope their offense can get back on track.