Right-handed starting pitcher Seth Johnson from Baltimore Orioles Double A affiliate comes to Philly in exchange for Gregory Soto

The Phillies made one final move before the 6 pm MLB Trade Deadline, acquiring right-handed starting pitcher Seth Johnson from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for reliever Gregory Soto.

Phillies trade Gregory Soto for RHP Seth Johnson

Phillies have traded Gregory Soto to Baltimore, sources said. Righty starter Seth Johnson, who goes on the 40-man roster, is coming from Orioles as @kileymcd reported.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) July 30, 2024

No one is going to miss Gregory Soto. He came over from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Matt Vierling and Nick Maton and never lived up to the hype. This season, he posted a 2-4 record with a 4.08 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. 

Roughly an hour ago, the Phillies acquired Tanner Banks from the Chicago White Sox. Banks, a reliever that really only finds success against lefties, basically took Soto’s role in the bullpen.

Phillies land reliever from the Chicago White Sox minutes before the MLB Trade Deadline >>

Tanner Banks:

Tanner Banks is a 32-year-old southpaw with three years experience at the major league level – all with the Chicago White Sox.

He’s appeared in 108 games and has allowed 148 hits over 162 innings pitched. He holds a 155/49 in Chicago: 108 games, 148 hits over 162 IP with a 155/49 K:BB, 3.89 ERA, and 1.216 WHIP. He will remain under the Phillies’ control through 2028 season.

Tanner Banks is ass overall but against left-handed hitters, he’s faced 83 this season and struck out 28 – good for a 34% K-Rate. On the year, lefties are hitting just .184 with one homer against Banks. 

Banks is 2-2 on the season. He holds a 4.13 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP over 48 innings pitched. 

• 2022: 2-0 | 3.06 ERA | 53 IP | 1.13 WHIP
• 2023: 1-4 | 4.43 ERA | 61 IP | 1.23 WHIP 
• 2024: 2-2 | 4.13 ERA | 48 IP | 1.29 WHIP

Seth Johnson:

Seth Johnson is a 25-year old righty from Concord, North Carolina.

He was drafted as a CB-A pick, No. 40 overall by the Baltimore Orioles and is currently with their Double-A Affiliate. This season, he’s 0-6 with a 2.63 ERA over 18 games (65 IP). He has struck out 61 and holds a 4.13 FIP and 1.32 WHIP – all in Double A ball. 

25-years old and still in AA is definitely a bit weird but according to scouting reports, he has a good arsenal that includes a mid-90’s fastball, a hard slide, and a two-plane curveball, and changeup – so at least that’s good, right? 

Uninspiring but expected from the Phillies

Phillies basically swapped Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez with Estavez and Banks and tried replacing Klassen with Seth Johnson.

The MLB Trade Deadline unfortunately turned out to be exactly what I expected from Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies Front Office.

The Phillies would be foolish to stand idle ahead of tomorrow’s MLB Trade Deadline >>

Dave Dombrowski and John Middleton looked at the current Phillies lineup and questioned whether or not they actually need to add any more pieces to help their baseball team win a World Series this season.

When you have a lineup that features Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, JT Realmuto and even Alec Bohm, adding another bat might not seem necessary given the talent that’s already here and taking up 6-of-9 spots in the lineup. 

They also looked at the standings and see the Phillies still in first place in the NL East with a dominant lead over the Atlanta Braves while holding the best record in baseball.

This team as constructed needs to win. Period.

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