The Braves acquiring Brandon Phillips was a wise and necessary move with Sean Rodriguez set to miss the next three-to-five months. For a price tag of just $1 million and two organizational depth guys, it looks like a real bargain.
John Coppolella had tried multiple times this winter to get the 35-year-old second baseman, though the pursuit ended a few months back after signing Rodriguez to a two-year deal. As fate would have it for Atlanta Sports Teams, Rodriguez and his family were hit by a stolen police car in Miami last month. Thankfully Sean and his family will be fine, but he wasn’t able to escape the crash without needing a shoulder procedure that is reportedly scheduled for next week.
Enter Brandon Phillips.
Phillips was steady up the middle during his 11-year run with Cincinnati, posting a WAR above 1.4 in every season before 2016. He continued to hit at a decent level with a .291/.320/.416 line (92 wRC+) in 2016, which was boosted by a big second half.
As a comparison, Braves second basemen hit .250 with a .684 OPS last year and posted a combined -0.3 WAR. I feel confident in writing that Phillips will not be that bad in 2017.
Where Phillips declined in 2016 was in the field. He was -7 in Defensive Runs Saved through nearly 1,200 innings. He was +22 from 2012-2016. A decline in the field was to be expected as he aged. But for the Braves’ sake, they’ll want that number to be better than it was last year.
Losing Rodriguez for the first few months of the season stinks, but the hole will be adequately filled by Phillips. He’s a free agent after this season so there is no long-term commitment.
It allows Ozzie Albies to gain 500+ plate appearances in Triple-A before taking over the job in 2018. It allows Rodriguez to play all over the field whenever he returns, which is what he’s best suited to do. Jace Peterson can bounce around the field now as the team’s super-utility guy.
There is plenty to like about this trade, and there is zero downside nor commitment. These are the kind of moves the Braves have excelled at recently. And it’s a move that should help them achieve their goal of being competitive in their first season at SunTrust Park.