(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
This week, we learned that the Oakland Athletics didn’t have enough faith in Cristian Pache‘s bat to give him a roster spot on Opening Day.
A former top prospect, Pache was part of the return package for first baseman Matt Olson.
He wasn’t good in the opportunities he had in Oakland, but he was out of minor league options.
That meant he was likely to land on another team if he wasn’t on the A’s Opening Day roster.
That’s exactly what happened: the Philadelphia Phillies, reigning National League champs, traded for him on Wednesday.
“The Phillies have acquired CF Cristian Pache from OAK in exchange for RHP Billy Sullivan, President of Baseball Operations David Dombrowski announced today,” the Phillies tweeted.
The Phillies have acquired CF Cristian Pache from OAK in exchange for RHP Billy Sullivan, President of Baseball Operations David Dombrowski announced today.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 29, 2023
To make room on the 40-man roster for Pache, Philadelphia placed first baseman Rhys Hoskins, expected to miss the entire season with a torn ACL, on the injured list.
Pache was horrible with the bat last year, with a .166 batting average and a .459 OPS.
Pache had a good spring performance, though, with a .302/.362/.419 line in 43 at-bats.
Couple that with his excellent speed and his phenomenal defense, and that was worthy of a roster spot to open the year.
The A’s clearly didn’t feel that way, and now he is in Philly.
Initially at least, he will be a reserve, but he can always force himself into the team’s plans if he hits.
He improves a mediocre overall defense for Philadelphia, and makes for an excellent late-inning replacement (to run or for defensive purposes) with the potential to see his role grow based on performance.
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