Longtime Jay Loup is part of Phillies’ deadline upgrades
BOSTON — With time running down before Tuesday’s nonwaiver trade deadline, the Philadelphia Phillies got creative in their pursuit of more offence and satisfied their need for another left-handed reliever.
The Phillies acquired veteran catcher Wilson Ramos and cash considerations from the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named or cash. Ramos, 30, is expected back from a left hamstring injury in August.
After completing the Ramos deal, the Phillies got lefty reliever Aaron Loup from the Toronto Blue Jays for triple-A right-hander Jacob Waguespack. Including last Friday’s trade for infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, the Phillies acquired three major-league players without giving up a player off their big-league roster.
Ramos, 30, was batting .297 with a .346 on-base percentage, 14 home runs and a .488 slugging percentage in 315 plate appearances for the Rays this season. He’s eligible for free agency after the season.
The Phillies have gotten belowaverage defence behind the plate from catchers Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp. But Ramos has an .834 OPS, while Alfaro and Knapp have combined for a .709 OPS.
In the weeks before the deadline, the Phillies targeted highstrikeout relievers to help mitigate their overall poor defence, according to multiple league sources, and prioritized lefthanders. Although the 30-yearold Loop has a 4.54 ERA in 35 2/3
innings this season for the Blue Jays, he has averaged 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings and held left-handed hitters to a .357 slugging percentage.
Ramos is a .271 hitter with a .315 on-base percentage,
108 homers and .752 OPS in 11 seasons with the Washington Nationals and the Rays.
Loup, meanwhile, has a
3.47 ERA and an average of
8.4 strikeouts per nine innings in seven big-league seasons, all with Toronto.