The Philadelphia Phillies are adding a two-time All-Star to their bullpen in a trade with the Detroit Tigers.
The Phillies are acquiring reliever Gregory Soto from the Tigers in exchange for Nick Maton, Matt Vierling and Donny Sands. Kody Clemens, the son of former MLB star Roger Clemens, will also move to Philadelphia in the deal.
The Tigers-Phillies trade is agreed upon pending medical reviews, I'm told:
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 7, 2023
Detroit acquires Nick Maton, Matt Vierling, and Donny Sands.
Philadelphia acquires Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens.
Credit to @JSalisburyNBCS for initial report. @MLBNetwork @MLBNetworkRadio @MLB
Soto turns 28 next month and has shown himself to be incredibly tough to hit when he is throwing strikes. Control problems can be an issue for him, as he has walked a batter every other inning on average in his career, but he has a 3.34 ERA and 48 saves over his last two seasons with Detroit, both of which earned him All-Star nods.
Vierling, Maton and Sands are secondary pieces for the Phillies who are likely to play supplementary roles with Detroit. That means the Phillies got a potentially valuable arm without giving up too much, a nice move for a likely contender.
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