New Addition Will Pay Dividends Right Away For Philly

Phillies vs. Marlins, 12:10 ET

The trade deadline has passed, but there are still opportunities to trade players. What? Yes, it is true, teams can trade players but it is slightly more difficult now because essentially you have to claim a player and then work out a deal. Growing up, I thought it was really unique because you'd hear that some star was claimed but they couldn't work a deal. I guess some clubs put everyone on waivers just to see what trades could happen. The Phillies and Marlins both made trades and we will see their new additions in action today.

The Phillies added Michael Lorenzen at the deadline. Lorenzen is a guy that has somewhat flown under the radar in his career. He was a starter when he first game up with the Reds and didn't perform all that well. Then he was a reliever and was solid most seasons. He went to Los Angeles last yer and started there and was average at best. Finally, something seemed to click this year with Detroit and he was able to make the All-Star team. I don't want to make it seem like that is a huge deal. Realistically, if someone was playing better for the Tigers, or there wasn't a dumb "every team needs to be represented" participation trophy rule, he wouldn't have made it. Still, credit where it is due, he's playing pretty solid baseball and should be a nice middle rotation starter for the Phillies. His July was outstanding as he allowed just three earned runs in the entire month over 23.2 innings. How will he respond to what is only the second time he has been on a relevant team in his career? Looking at his game log you should expect he gives up two our fewer runs or five or more. Its a very wild distribution for his progress at this point. Him facing the Marlins makes me lean to the lower half of that.

MIAMI, FLORIDA - JUNE 19: Luis Arraez #3 of the Miami Marlins hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at loanDepot park on June 19, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

The Marlins didn't add an arm at the deadline, they added a bat. Poor Josh Bell. I actually feel kind of bad for this guy. I mean as bad as you can feel for a guy that makes millions to play baseball and now gets to live in Miami. He started his career with the Pirates and was one of the few solid hitters there. He then went to Washington and was still one of the better players there (not that it is hard to do). He was traded last season to the Padres in the middle of the year and it just didn't work out. It really didn't make much sense because for the first time in his career, he had some protection in the lineup. This year with Cleveland he was solid, but not great. Now he is with a Miami team that essentially did the bare minimum to keep themselves in the playoff race. The team starts Johnny Cueto today. I've really enjoyed Cueto the last couple of years as he was underrated by the books, but this season has been tough on him due to injuries. He only has four starts this year. This will be his fifth and first one against anyone from the NL East. Phillies hitters have a strong enough track record against him, especially Kyle Schwarber who is 3-for-9 with all hits leaving the yard.

I'm getting a good price on the Phillies here and will take it with pride. I think Lorenzen should be dominant enough in today's game that he shows people why he was added at the deadline. He's going to have hiccups, but today isn't that day. Back the Phillies to win this one at the moderately priced -125.

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