RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 4 sourcesPhillies beat trade deadline buzzer with trade for Athletics' 25-year-old outfielder originally appeared on The Sporting News .
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The Philadelphia Phillies came into MLB trade deadline day without having made a single move yet. But they began the day with two significant trades, one for Luis Arraez and Caleb Kilian, and another for Brooks Raley.
But, they could've used another starting pitcher, another reliever, and most importantly, a right-handed hitting outfielder. Well, it took until the buzzer, but the Phillies did make a trade for an outfielder.
According to Jayson Stark of The Athletic , the Phillies agreed to a trade with the Athletics , sending reliever Seth Johnson to the A's in exchange for 25-year-old outfielder Colby Thomas.
Phillies trade for Colby Thomas from A's at trade deadline buzzer
"The Phillies made a minor-league trade at the buzzer," Stark reports. "RHP Seth Johnson to the A's for outfielder Colby Thomas. But ran out of time shopping for one more starter or reliever."
Seth Johnson likely wasn't going to be in the Phillies' plans this season with their bullpen additions, so trading him shouldn't be a huge loss, if one at all. So, who is Colby Thomas?
The 25-year-old outfielder is a right-handed hitter, like many Phillies fans were hoping to see their team add. There's just one issue: Thomas hasn't been good in the Majors.
In 49 games his rookie season last year, Thomas hit six home runs in 120 at-bats with a .225 batting average and a .684 OPS. This year, he's only gotten worse.
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In 55 games this season, Thomas has four home runs in 114 at-bats with a .202 batting average and a .569 OPS.
Last year, he had -0.1 bWAR, and so far this season, Thomas has -0.8 bWAR. It's not been a good start to Thomas' MLB career, though he has been a fantastic hitter in the minor leagues.
This season at Triple-A, he has a .971 OPS in 68 at-bats with five home runs, and for his minor league career, he has 72 home runs in 1,421 at-bats with a .885 OPS across all levels.
Thomas is surely not the kind of right-handed hitting outfield addition that Phillies fans were hoping to see Dave Dombrowski make this summer.
But there is some potential here with Thomas, as he's under club control through 2031. It might take time, but there is a chance that Thomas winds up contributing to the Phillies down the road.
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