When the Phillies drafted Cody Asche, he was expected to leave third base and possibly be a first baseman. Despite early projections about his defense and one difficult season at second base, Asche did a respectable job at third base for the Phillies, even earning himself an opportunity to demonstrate that he was a starter in the Major Leagues. Third base now belongs to Maikel Franco, and Asche spent some time in the outfield and even returned to third base for a while in Franco's absence. This versatility may make Asche a trade candidate.
Alden Gonzalez speculated that Asche might fit the Angels needs:
One potential trade target to monitor: Phillies LHH 3B/LF Cody Asche. They want pitching. Angels could part with Gott, Morin or Bedrosian.
— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) December 7, 2015
Asche finds himself with no clear role on the Phillies right now.
In some ways, when Asche moved back to third base in Franco's absence, it somewhat signaled that Asche was not really going to make it as an outfielder. There were other people that the team would rather see there down the stretch. If third base was not available, then Asche might have found himself on the bench. But, that does not mean that Asche does not have value.
If Asche went into Spring Training willing to play third base, first base, left field, and right field, he could be a very valuable piece on a Major League roster. That might be what the Angels need. The Angels have Albert Pujols at first base, David Freese at third base, and Cole Kalhoun in left field. The Angels have yet to address one outfield spot. Asche could be a platoon partner in the outfield and spell the others.
Asche may not have a spot on the Phillies next season. Their outfield now includes Peter Bourjos, Odubel Herrera, and Aaron Altherr. The Phillies may also select an outfielder in the Rule 5 draft, and Darin Ruf may have to be one of their outfield slots. The infield will be Franco, Freddy Galvis, Cesar Hernandez, Ryan Howard, and Andres Blanco, with Darnell Sweeney still in the mix. The upside of a Rule 5 pick or the prospects of building Bourjos into a tradeable commodity probably will take precedence over Asche.
If the Phillies can get one of the pitchers named in return, they would do well. Cam Bedrosian is the son of former Phillies closer Steve Bedrosian. The righty Bedrosian is a former first round draft pick who struggled in 2015 on the mound. Gott is a right-handed reliever who pitched to a respectable 3.02 ERA and 4-2 record in 2015. Mike Morin is also a right-handed reliever who debuted in 2014 with a 4-4 record and 2.90 ERA. But 2015 was a different story; Morin went 4-2 with a 6.37 earned run average.
That said, a return of any of those right-handed relievers would be a significant return in exchange for Asche. Asche still has a chance to be a helpful Major League player, but might not fit on the Phillies right now.
It is unclear whether Gonzalez had any information that the two sides were talking, but the two teams could be a match.
