Philadelphia Phillies Upgrade Bullpen With Tanner Banks Trade

Tanner Banks gives the Philadelphia Phillies another left-handed weapon in their bullpen.

Jun 9, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Tanner Banks throws a pitch. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies were busy on Tuesday, making several notable moves before the MLB Trade Deadline.

In one trade, they sent left-handed reliever Gregory Soto to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for two minor-league pitchers. In another deal, they essentially replaced Soto by acquiring lefty reliever Tanner Banks from the Chicago White Sox for minor-league infielder William Bergolia.

It's an interesting maneuver, especially since Banks and Soto have very similar numbers this year. Soto had a 4.08 ERA, 3.61 FIP and 1.59 WHIP in 35 1/3 innings for the Phillies, while Banks had a 4.13 ERA, 3.28 FIP and 1.29 WHIP for the White Sox.

In that sense, Banks represents a slight improvement. His peripherals are better than Soto's, which suggests he'll perform better going forward. He's also been lights-out against lefties, making him the perfect weapon for those situations and a pretty good consolation prize after missing out on his teammate Michael Kopech.

Tanner Banks in 2024

41 appearances
48 IP
55 Ks
4.13 ERA
1.29 WHIP

Left-handed hitters are hitting just .184 off of Banks. Righties .308. pic.twitter.com/ugxC9fGUt1

— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) July 30, 2024

Banks is three years older than Soto (32 vs. 29), but has more years of team control remaining since he debuted more recently. Banks won't become a free agent until after the 2028 season, while Soto is set to hit the market after next year.

There's also the sense that Soto needed a change of scenery and that his time here had run its course. He was coming off back-to-back All-Star seasons with the Detroit Tigers when they traded him to Philadelphia prior to the 2023 season, but his performance regressed after going from closing to a setup role. With Craig Kimbrel struggling for the Orioles, Soto may get the chance to close again.

Banks, on the other hand, is more suited to being a setup man. He barely has any closing experience (three career saves) and typically pitched in the seventh or eighth inning for Chicago, so he'll have no expectations of taking over the ninth inning, especially with the recent arrival of Carlos Estevez from the Los Angeles Angels.

Banks was already pitching well before the trade, posting a 2.70 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings over his last 16 appearances. Going from the worst team in baseball to one of the best should give him a boost, as will pitching in front of a packed, energetic crowd every night.

Soto's solid, but it's tough to trust a pitcher with a 1.59 WHIP and a 5.1 BB/9, especially in the playoffs. He struggled in the postseason last year with a 6.00 ERA, so the hope is that Banks will fare better in those high-pressure spots thanks to his superior command.

The poor performance of Kimbrel and Soto contributed to the Phillies' demise against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS last fall. Now, both of them are gone.