The Astros acquired left-hander Sergio Escalona from the Phillies for minor league second baseman Albert Cartwright, according to the teams. The Phillies designated Escalona for assignment over the weekend to make room for J.C. Romero. Escalona, who will be added to Houston's 40-man roster, appealed to the Astros because of his ability to retire left-handed hitters.
“Sergio adds depth to the competition for lefthanders in our bullpen,” GM Ed Wade said in a statement. “Our scouts have liked his stuff and believe he’s got a chance to be very effective in left-on-left situations.”
Wade was Philadelphia's GM when the Phillies signed Escalona out of Venezuela in May of 2004. The 26-year-old posted a 4.61 ERA in 14 appearances for the 2009 Phillies, but most of his pro experience has come in the minor leagues. Escalona posted a 3.81 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 50 relief appearances at Double-A Reading last year.
Lefties Wesley Wright, Fernando Abad and Gustavo Chacin will also be contenders for jobs in manager Brad Mills' 'pen this spring.
Cartwright, 23, split last season between Class A and Double-A, batting .294/.355/.472 in 547 plate appearances. As MLBTR's Transaction Tracker shows, this isn't the first time Wade and Ruben Amaro Jr. have made deals together; the Roy Oswalt trade is their most memorable swap.
Of course Ed Wade did
stop trading with the phillies wade
… and there goes that “Shake ‘n Bake” marketing campaign for 2014. “Shake ‘n Escalona” just doesn’t have that same ring.
Update: Wade has signed Escalona to a four-year, $24MM extension.
Cartwright? He seemed promising. Not quite big league ready but still I would hope with another year like last year could he could’ve fetched more than an AAAA reliever.
Thanks Ed Wade. Signed, Phillies fan.
If he does need more grooming, whatever, Chase Utley isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Good luck Escalona!
If he does need more grooming, whatever, Chase Utley isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Good luck Escalona!
Well it makes sense for the Phillies since they have a ton of pitching depth in their minors and very little IF depth. I guess they keep getting these guys like Cartwright and Martinez (Rule 5 draft) and hoping one of them pans out as a decent replacement to Rollins and Utley.
Well it makes sense for the Phillies since they have a ton of pitching depth in their minors and very little IF depth. I guess they keep getting these guys like Cartwright and Martinez (Rule 5 draft) and hoping one of them pans out as a decent replacement to Rollins and Utley.
I wanted escolana to be up with the Phillies in September. Thats not happening.
Wade got played!
You’ll know something is wrong with the world if the Astros trade with any team besides the Phillies.
They’ve made two trades with the Rockies this offseason. Does that mean the end of the world is nigh?
Although Rocky was from Philadelphia so maybe the Rockies are an exception.
Good depth move. Phillies’ middle infield depth in the minors was nearly barren outside of Martinez, Hernandez, and Garcia.
good luck, sergio!
Houston, YOU have a problem
The only thing that keeps me from blasting this move is the fact that Wade has been pretty good with picking up pitchers off waivers or making small trades giving up low upside players. Latroy Hawkins, Randy Wolf, Jeff Fulchino, and Alberto Arias come immediately to mind, but there are others too. I hope this is another Fulchino or Arias case. I guess we’ll see.
Utley’s have big problems with tendinitis, so this looks like a pretty good move for the Phils.