On the last day of 2014, the Philadelphia Phillies made one more trade as they are rebuilding for the 2015 season. Today, it was announced the Phillies traded outfielder Marlon Byrd to the Cincinnati Reds for pitching prospect Ben Lively. The trade was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Also in the trade, the Phillies will pay half of Byrd’s $8 million salary in 2015 and will not have anything to do with his 2016 $8 million club/vesting option. This past season with the Phillies, Byrd provided protection in the lineup for Ryan Howard. Byrd hit 25 homers and drove in 85 RBI. He also had a slash line of .264/.312/.445.
Byrd should be able to help the Reds as they are still trying to contend in the NL Central despite trading away pitchers Mat Latos and Alfredo Simon.
In terms of the Phillies, they get a young right handed pitcher in Lively, who was ranked by MLB.com as the Reds’ eighth-best prospect. This past season in the minors, Lively pitched at Class A+ Bakersfield and Double-A Pensacola. Between the two teams, he posted a 3.04 ERA with 13-7 record and 171 strikeouts.
Finally, the Phillies get a young power pitcher, who has overwhelming stuff and could be a factor in a season or two.
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