Categories: News

Phillies trade for pitcher Clay Buchholz

Photo by Keith Allison

The Phillies have acquired pitcher Clay Buchholz from the Boston Red Sox.

According to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phils have traded infielder Josh Tobias to Boston for Buchholz. The Phils will take on Buchholz’s one-year, $13.5 million contract in full.

Buchholz, 32, went 8-10 with a 4.78 ERA, 93 strikeouts and 55 walks last year for the Sox (21 starts, 37 games). After a poor start in the rotation, the Sox began changing Buchholz’s role, alternating him between the rotation and bullpen. This after a solid 2015 season (7-7, 3.26 ERA, 107 K, 23 BB) that ended mid-season because of injury.

For his career, Buchholz (10 seasons with Boston) is 81-61 with a 3.96 ERA.

Tobias, 24, spent last season playing second base and left field for Clearwater and Lakewood. Overall he hit .291/.362/.422 with nine home runs and 69 runs batted in; with Clearwater he went .254/.324/.357 in 146 plate appearances. He wasn’t considered a top prospect.

Considering his experience, Buchholz would slide into the Phils rotation in 2016, but that creates a logjam. Jeremy Hellickson, Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and Vince Velasquez are already slated to be in the rotation, with Zach Eflin, Alec Asher and Jake Thompson knocking on the door.

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.