Philadelphia Phillies Trade Veteran Reliever to Toronto Blue Jays

In a late night move, the Philadelphia Phillies decided to trade away one of their minor league pitchers.

Jun 12, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Ryan Burr (61) throws against the Detroit Tigers in the sixth inning at Comerica Park. / Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies have been vaulted to success in the early portion of this season by the strength of their pitching staff.

Their starters have been incredible, posting an MLB-leading 2.68 ERA as a unit.

After being dominant as a group in 2023, the Phillies' bullpen has regressed to the mean, sitting with the 16th-best ERA of 3.90, but they are still formidable enough to close out leads.

As a contending team, their front office will be looking to add arms around the trade deadline. Who those targets ultimately are will be seen, but there's no doubt that additions will be made to help this team accomplish their goal of hoisting the World Series trophy.

In the meantime, however, Philadelphia decided to trade away one of their players.

According to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, they shipped minor leaguer Ryan Burr to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The 30-year-old has been elite at the Triple-A level this season, posting an ERA of 2.16 across his 15 appearances and 16 2/3 innings pitched. He's struck out 29 batters and only given up five walks.

Burr signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in December 2023 after he elected free agency following his stint with the Tampa Bay Rays. Originally a fifth-round draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015, he eventually made his Major League debut with the Chicago White Sox in 2018.

The last time he appeared in an MLB game was during the 2022 season where he posted an ERA of 6.00 in eight appearances.

His career ERA is 4.08 across 66 Major League appearances and two starts with his best year coming back in 2021.

It's interesting that Philadelphia decided to make this trade because of how successful Burr had been so far with their Triple-A affiliate, but with him not being on their 40-man roster, they likely didn't view him as an option down the line.