Phillies Trade Michael Young to Dodgers for Rob Rasmussen

Breaking news--or, more accurately, an update to news that previously broke and Liz reported:

Rob Rasmussen is the player traded from #Dodgers to #Phillies.

— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) September 1, 2013

As first reported by Dodgers beat writer Bill Shaikin Michael Young has been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, along with cash considerations, for 24-year old left-handed pitcher Rob Rasmussen. Rasmussen was the Dodgers 27th round draft choice out of high school in 2007 but didn't sign, instead choosing to attend UCLA where he was their third starter. He pitched behind a couple of guys you might have heard of in Trevor Bauer and Gerrit Cole. After three years at UCLA he was drafted by Miami, this time in the second round.

Rasmussen has bounced around a bit since then. He was part of the package that netted Miami Carlos Lee from the Astros back when Miami was actually acting as a trade deadline "buyer." Remember those days? Ha! Rasmussen's stay in Houston was short-lived as he was traded to Los Angeles this past December for a man named John Ely.  I do not know this man, but he throws baseballs for a living.

What do the Phillies have in Rasmussen? Apparently he's a 5'9" lefty who has an okay fastball and decent slider and curve. Nothing special, in other words, but a marginal guy who maybe might do something one day. Perhaps. Here is the TrueBlueLA scouting report on Rasumussen from December. And for the TL;DR crowd, here are a couple Twitter scouting reports:

Rasmussen, the lefty going to #Phillies, started season at AA, went 0-7 with a 6.46 ERA after getting promoted to AAA, then returned to AA.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) September 1, 2013

Oh. That's actually more of just a straight stat line and description of his performance than a scouting report. Let's try again:

Fringe. Could see him as a lefty specialist. Decent CB, poor command "@nbarone007: @keithlaw Rasmussan any good or JAG?"

— keithlaw (@keithlaw) September 1, 2013

Well there's a place in organizations for guys like that. Hey, Keith Law, since I'm already looking at your Twitter feed how would you say Ruben made out here?

Yes. "@CJ11andFOX: @keithlaw Were Phils better off getting Kahnle from Yanks for Young? (Although some deny that deal was in place.)"

— keithlaw (@keithlaw) September 1, 2013

Oh. I don't know enough about these fringe prospect guys to say either way, but I continue to maintain that the real mistake was trading for Michael Young in the first place. The difference between Kahnle and Rasmussen seems negligible at this point. So, like the McDonald for Ogando deal, it's the Phillies getting something for what was essentially a guy who had zero value for them going forward, which is better than a sharp stick in the eye.

As for Michael Young, well, I think we all know what we lost. A guy in the last year of his (rather large) contract who is very stinky in the field but balances that out with the offensive production of an old, completely mediocre hitter. Really. His .272/.333/.389 slash line was good for a wRC+ of exactly 100. According to Fangraphs he was worth nothing, sporting a robust 0.0 fWAR. Baseball reference has him rated worse. But he was the consummate professional while being stinky. Professional stink! And versatile!

Young did agree to waive his full no-trade clause, so that was actually beneficial to the Phillies as was his booted ball today (#EmbraceTheYouKnowWhat), and I harbor no animus toward him now that he's no longer getting at bats that should be going to players that will be a factor in 2014 and beyond. The trade was consummated just in time for Young to be eligible for the Dodgers' playoff roster, so if the Dodgers get lucky we'll be able to watch quality pasta diving well into October! In a schadenfreudey way it's actually fun watching #PADMY when he's not playing for the team you root for.

So long, Michael, your time here was professional, short, and laughably gifable.

Michael Young and your 2013 Phillies, everyone.