ATLANTA -- The Phillies made two trades Tuesday afternoon:
They acquired outfielder Brandon Marsh from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe.
Also, the Phils acquired reliever David Robertson from the Chicago Cubs for pitching prospect Ben Brown.
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The Phillies had been in the market for starting pitching and still might be as the 6 p.m. deadline approaches. But with prices for starting pitchers high, the team appears to have chosen to shore up its defense and bullpen.
Marsh, 24, is a strong defender at three positions, including center field, where he played extensively in place of injured Mike Trout last year. Though he has played some center field this season, Marsh has been the Angels’ primary left fielder.
A left-handed hitter, Marsh is hitting just .226 in 93 games this season. He has eight homers and 37 RBIs. He will not be eligible for free agency until after the 2027 season.
Robertson, a 37-year-old right-hander, signed a free-agent contract with the Phillies before the 2019 season but pitched in only seven games before requiring elbow surgery that cost him most of two seasons.
MLB
With the Cubs this season, Robertson has pitched to a 2.23 ERA in 36 games. He has 14 saves. He will complement Seranthony Dominguez, Brad Hand, Jose Alvarado and Corey Knebel at the back end of the bullpen.
Marsh is the second strong defender to join the Phillies in recent days. The Phillies added a defensive-first shortstop in Edmundo Sosa in a trade with St. Louis over the weekend.
Marsh could provide a defensive upgrade in center field and take some pressure off left fielder Kyle Schwarber and right fielder Nick Castellanos, neither of whom are top defenders.
To clear room for Marsh and Robertson, the Phillies designated Odubel Herrera and Jeurys Familia for assignment.
O’Hoppe, 22, was the Phillies’ 23rd-round draft pick in 2018. He has put together a couple of strong seasons in the minors and was hitting .269 with 15 homers, 45 RBIs and a .877 OPS entering Tuesday.
Brown, 22, is a 6-6 right-hander. He was selected in the 33rd round of the 2017 draft, survived Tommy John surgery and has come back throwing in the upper 90s with hard-breaking stuff. He had a 3.08 ERA in 73 innings at High A Jersey Shore and was recently promoted to Double A.
O'Hoppe and Brown both hail from Long Island, New York.
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