The Phillies completed their David Phelps trade with the Brewers Friday afternoon, sending right-handed pitchers Juan Geraldo, Israel Puello and Brandon Ramey to Milwaukee.
The Phils acquired Phelps for three players to be named later just ahead of the August 31 trade deadline.
Phelps has been shockingly bad in seven appearances with the Phillies, allowing eight runs and five homers in just 6⅓ innings. He had a 2.77 ERA and 0.69 WHIP with 20 strikeouts and two walks as a Brewer.
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Phelps on Thursday night against the Mets looked like the guy the Phillies thought they were getting, striking out the side in a 1-2-3 inning.
There is a $4.5 million club option on Phelps' contract for 2021. It seemed like a no-brainer the day the Phillies acquired him that they'd pick it up, given his recent track record. It still might be worth exercising even if Phelps continues to scuffle because it's a relatively inexpensive price for a reliever who has been effective since 2016. Buying him out would cost $250,000.
All three pitchers the Phillies sent to Milwaukee were in Rookie ball. Ramey is 20, the other two are 19. Ramey was a 30th-round pick in 2018. The Phillies signed Puello for $460,000 in international free agency in 2017. Geraldo was also signed in 2017.
None of the three were ranked among the Phillies' Top 30 prospects by Baseball America or MLB.com.