Brogdon traded to the Dodgers for left-handed reliever

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Righthanded reliever Connor Brogdon has been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for left-handed reliever Benony Robles, the Phillies announced on Saturday. Brogdon was designated for assignment by the Phillies on April 2, after allowing six earned runs through two innings pitched over three games. Brogdon has been placed on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster.

Robles, 23, has yet to make his big league debut. He has a 4.67 ERA over five minor league seasons, with 134 walks and 277 strikeouts. When the Dodgers acquired him, in 2017, he was throwing 84-86 mph. Now, he is more in the mid-to-high 90s range.

He throws three pitches: A slider, a changeup and a cutter. Robles has good extension and is a tough look for left-handed hitters, but has struggled to get right-handed hitters out. He is coming off of a strong season, after pitching in a career-high 33 games last season for high A Great Lakes, posting a 3.86 ERA over 32

⅔ innings pitched. He has some starting experience — 37 minor league games worth — but has been used primarily as a reliever over the past three seasons.

Robles induces a lot of swing and miss. He struck out 38.7% of the batters he faced at high A in 2023, after striking out 21.6% of the batters he faced at single A the year before. He has struggled with his control, which is part of what has kept him from advancing to the upper levels of the minor leagues. His upper half and lower half can get disconnected at times, which has hurt his timing and has led to more pitches out of the zone. He posted an 11.5% walk rate in 2022 and a 13.9% walk rate in 2023.

Brogdon had been struggling for the better since his dominant outing in the 2022 World Series. He said he was struggling to maintain proper mechanics consistently. His velocity dropped a few ticks, from 96-97 mph in 2022 to 92-93 mph in 2023, and he struggled with his control. Brogdon was drafted by the Phillies in 2017 and had spent parts of the past five seasons with the big league club, posting a 3.88 ERA over 144 innings pitched.