REPORT: Phillies send Falter to Pittsburgh, get Rodolfo Castro in return

Looks like Dave Dombrowski has bolstered his bench a bit.

From the Phillies end, Bailey Falter had basically run his course with the team once they acquired Michael Lorenzen. Falter had been kept around in case of injury to one of the members of the rotation, but now that Lorenzen and/or Cristopher Sanchez could more admirably fill that role, there really was nothing stopping the team from shopping Falter around.

In Castro, they team makes a move reminiscent of the Edmundo Sosa deal of last year. He can play all over the infield, making most of his starts this year at second base, but also getting time at shortstop and third base. Versatility was his main calling card, but the guy can hit left handed pitching. On the season, Castro has mashed southpaws, hitting a robust .290/.368/.536 in 106 plate appearances against them. Against right-handers, well, the less said, the better (.173/.271/.192 in 118 plate appearances).

Falter played a solid role on the 2022 team, giving them much needed stability down the stretch when their starting rotation was struggling with health and ineffectiveness. That earned him a shot in spring training at keeping his spot. Ultimately, his lack of a starter’s stuff caught up to him and he had to be banished to the minor leagues.

This may not be the trade that many people wanted. We’ve heard for a while about the desire to acquire a right-handed bat for the outfield, but there seems to be some confidence in Johan Rojas and Cristian Pache that they didn’t pull the trigger on any deals. At any rate, the upgrade from Harrison to Castro is real and will have tangible benefit to the team.

Now, the superstars need to just hit.