The Phillies are acquiring Freddy Galvis from the Orioles, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). The Orioles are sending cash as well as paying for $250k of Galvis’ trade bonus, tweets MLB.com’s Joe Trezza. The move is official.
Galvis doesn’t fill a huge need for the Phillies, who were more desperately in need of pitching as they approached the deadline. That said, a low-cost veteran addition comes with very little risk.
He’ll serve as a backup in the infield, where Alex Bohm, Didi Gregorius, and Juan Segura hold the starting spots. Gregorius has had his health issues this summer, however, while Bohm has yet to hit his stride at third.
This represents a homecoming for Galvis, of course, who began his career with the Phillies, for whom he played from 2012 to 2017. He was the Phillies starting shortstop from 2015 to 2017.
He signed with Baltimore this offseason, fully expecting to be moved at the deadline. He played well for Baltimore, however, slashing .249/.306/.414 across 274 plate appearances.
For their effort, the Orioles are receiving right-hander Tyler Burch from Philly, per the Orioles’ press release announcing the move. The 23-year-old right-hander has split this season between Single-A Clearwater and High-A. Since being promoted to the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, Burch has logged 11 innings over eight outings and pitching to a 2.45 ERA. He’s been closing games at both levels, finishing 18 of his 23 overall outings. Burch was not among the Phillies’ top 41 prospects posted by Fangraphs at the start of the year, nor the top 30 from Baseball America’s midseason report.
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