Miami Marlins acquire an unexpected player from Philly

Who said that division rival teams shouldn't make trades? Peter Bendix doesn't think so. The Miami Marlins have been hit by hitting injuries, and also by pitching injuries. This ultimately led to Bendix looking for more depth, and he did just that by acquiring righty Tyler Phillips from the Philadelphia Phillies in an unexpected trade the day before Opening Day.

The Miami Marlins and the Philadelphia Phillies made a trade.

Are you surprised that the Miami Marlins and the Philadelphia Phillies made a trade? Who is righty reliever Tyler Phillips? I should add that it's unknown if the return is going to be any prospects going Philly's way or if it's just a waiver move. Phillips was designated for assignment by Philly.

So once again who exactly is Tyler Phillips? The 27 year old righty relief pitcher debuted last season with the Philadelphia Phillies. He pitched to a 6.87 ERA/5.57 FIP, with 6.9 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 8 games and 36.2 innings pitched. He was worth a dreadful -0.7 WAR for that performance.

So what exactly does Peter Bendix like about him? I honestly can't tell you what it is. Looking at his Minor League numbers, he was never really impressive in the Minors to the point where you could see him becoming a useful piece in the Major Leagues down the line. He just hasn't done anything to show that he can anything else. I'm genuinely confused about this waiver claim and can't really say that he's going to be anything special. Righty relief pitcher Seth Martinez has been designated for assignment to make room for him.

I really wish I could say how he's a "hidden gem", but I just don't see it. I really hope that he surprises me and turns out to be a shutdown reliever, but at this point I just don't have any such high expectations for him. The only thing that I can hope for is that he provides some extra depth cover for injuries. That might be the best that we can ask for at this point and it may indeed the reason behind the Miami Marlins making this move. I hope Bendix knows what he's doing here.