Phillies Trade Greg Golson; Add Carrasco to 40-man

According to Scott Lauber, the Phillies have trade 23-year old outfielder, Greg Golson to the Texas Rangers for soon to be 25-year old outfielder, John Mayberry, Jr.

Look, I understand that people that Golson was amazing because of his speed, but with Werth and Victorino, it is unlikely that Golson would become a regular anytime soon. He was also extremely overrated because of that speed. Yes, speed is extremely valuable, but Golson's career OPS was .716...in the minors. Not exactly something that projects well in the everyday lineup. Yes, Golson will still young, but he hasn't soon much promise. His OPS did improve somewhat last year, but Golson still strikes out far too much and doesn't get on base enough for his speed to make that much of a difference.

The player we got in return has similar numbers in terms of 30-40 walks/100+ strike outs in a season, but he does possess more power. Mayberry, Jr. has hit at least 10 home runs in every one of his minor league seasons, but he is going on 25 and is still stuck in the minors. For Mayberry, Jr. to be valuable to this lineup, he'd really need to improve his walk rate. He could be a nice cheap pinch-hitting bat off the bench, but I am not sure if he's ready to be the starter. You never know.

I wonder if this is a sign that talks with Pat Burrell are dying quickly.

In the end, the Phillies did win this trade even if the trade seemed pointless. Mayberry, Jr. will be able to provide more raw power than Golson in the long run. Both players are still young and their biggest difference is speed. Realistically, it'll probably turn out to be a lateral move with a slight edge for the Phillies. So, I would not say Amaro, Jr's first trade was a bad move. At first look, on paper, we'll give him a (+) for this one. I'd say Mayberry, Jr. could range anywhere from Pedro Feliz to Geoff Jenkins in his prime.

Phuture Phillies went even more in depth on the trade. Check it out.

Also, the Phillies added right-handed pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Drew Naylor, lefty Sergio Escalona and catcher Joel Naughton to the 40-man roster.