The Phillies send one left-handed reliever out of town and bring in a lefty specialist.
With just minutes remaining before the MLB trade deadline, the Philadelphia Phillies made two moves to revamp their bullpen.
First, they acquired left-handed reliever Tanner Banks from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for second base prospect William Bergolla Jr. Shortly after, they traded reliever Gregory Soto to the Baltimore Orioles, receiving pitching prospects Seth Johnson and Moises Chace in return.
Phillies trade Gregory Soto, bring in Tanner Banks in last-minute trade deadline deals in drastic bullpen shakeup
Banks, 32, has spent the last three seasons with the White Sox and holds a career 3.89 ERA over 162 innings. His best season was his rookie year in 2022, where he pitched 53 innings, allowed 18 runs, and achieved a 2-0 record with a 3.06 ERA. With Gregory Soto’s departure, Banks will join José Alvarado as a left-handed reliever in the back end of the bullpen.
In 2024, Banks has a 2-2 record with a 4.13 ERA in 41 games, a career high. He has been effective against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .184 average with 28 strikeouts in 83 at-bats. However, he has struggled against right-handed hitters, allowing 33 hits in 24 innings for a .308 average.
Banks will provide the Phillies with financial flexibility, as he is under team control until the 2028 season. This gives the team the option to extend him or take him to arbitration if he performs well enough to be considered part of their future plans.
Phillies deal No. 11 prospect Bergolla
Bergolla, 19, has spent the last three seasons in the Phillies organization, posting an impressive .292 average in 497 at-bats. He has played for the Single-A Clearwater Threshers and High-A Jersey Shore BlueClaws and was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the team’s No. 11 prospect heading into Tuesday’s deadline.
In the deal with the Orioles, the Phillies acquired two right-handed pitching prospects who have excelled in 2024. Johnson, 25, has an impressive 2.63 ERA in 18 games with the Double-A Bowie Baysox. His performance has significantly improved since June, allowing just seven runs in 33 1/3 innings over nine starts.
Chace, 21, has pitched both as a starter and reliever for the High-A Aberdeen Ironbirds, compiling a 2-2 record and a 3.46 ERA in 17 games. His standout strength is his ability to strike out hitters, with 76 strikeouts in just 52 innings.
Soto, 29, leaves the Phillies after two seasons, having been acquired from the Detroit Tigers before the 2023 season. Despite high expectations following two consecutive All-Star seasons with Detroit, Soto struggled in Philadelphia, posting a 5-8 record with a 4.42 ERA over 95 innings.
While these moves may not be the blockbuster deals some fans anticipated, they represent low-risk, high-reward acquisitions that could bolster the team’s pitching depth at both the major and minor league levels. Banks will be immediately relied upon to face lefties out of the bullpen, while Johnson and Chace will have the opportunity to develop into future contributors for the club.