Phillies acquire relief pitcher José Alvarez from Angels in exchange for Luis Garcia

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The Phillies are wheelin’ and dealin’!

OK, stand down. The Phils swapped relievers with the Angels Thursday night, trading Luis Garcia to L.A. for left-hander José Alvarez. 

Alvarez was with the Angels nearly as long as Garcia was with the Phillies. Alvarez has averaged 67 appearances per season since 2015, posting a 3.36 ERA. Lefties hit .206 against him this season, and last year struck out 26 times with one walk. 

It’s a logical move for a Phillies bullpen that could use a lefty more than a righty. They non-tendered veteran lefty Luis Avilan last week, then acquired southpaw James Pazos in the Jean Segura trade. Adam Morgan is still in the picture as well. 

Garcia heads out West after six years with the Phillies. This organization always liked his stuff, but he never put it all together. His ERA was over 6.00 in 2018, 2016 and 2014. In 2017, he had a 2.65 ERA. The fastball routinely sat 96-99 mph, but bouts of wildness prevented Garcia from becoming a consistent option in the seventh or eighth innings. 

Alvarez is projected to make between $1.5 million and $2 million through the arbitration process this offseason, the same projection as Garcia. 

This acquisition does not impact the Phils’ interest in the elite free-agent lefty relievers like Zach Britton and Andrew Miller. It just gives them more options in the ‘pen.

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