Wilson Valdez Swapped for Reds Lefty Reliever
The Phillies announced today that they traded infielder (and pitcher) Wilson Valdez to the Cincinnati Reds for left-hander Jeremy Horst . Horst will be in Major League Spring Training as a non-roster player, according to the Phillies, who now have two open spots on their 40-man roster.
From MLBTraderumors…
Valdez, 33, posted a .249/.294/.341 line in 300 plate appearances for the Phillies in 2011, playing second, third and short. He even pitched an inning, picking up a win against the Reds in May. He’ll earn $930K in 2012.
Horst made his MLB debut in 2011, posting a 2.93 ERA with a 9K/6BB ratio in 15 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old also posted a 2.81 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 51 1/3 innings at Triple-A last year.
Thanks for the memories Wilson. Nobody will forget that night late last May when you took the mound in the 19th inning to give the Phillies the 5-4 win over your new team the Cincinnati Reds. That night Wilson became the first utility infielder in Phillies history to win a game. He was the first Major League postion player to start a game, and be the winning pitcher since Babe Ruth in 1921.
So, what do you think of this trade? I’m not a fan for sure.
Well, Wilson was a fan favorite which makes it really tough.
It makes me wonder what the phillies think of the young pitchers we have like Savery, Defratus, Schimm, and others. My thought is that they want to keep options open for the emergence of Freddy Galvis, but he has no ML experience. They also have Martinez who makes very little. They like the versatility of Martinez, and I think they would hope that he progresses as a player.