The Phillies landed infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, catcher Wilson Ramos and reliever Aaron Loup prior to the July 31 trade deadline. The Phillies, however, were not done as the calendar turned to August. The Phillies have reportedly acquired a power threat from the left side to add to their offense.
According to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic, the Phillies have acquired first baseman Justin Bour from the Miami Marlins. Rosenthal explains that the Phillies were awarded a waiver claim on Bour. The Phillies ended up parting with a prospect to add Bour, Rosenthal reports, while the Marlins are helping pay down some of the $900,000 Bour is owed.
Headed to the Marlins is left-handed pitcher McKenzie Mills. The Phillies acquired Mills last summer along with international slot money in exchange for utility player Howie Kendrick. Mills was recently assigned to Double-A Reading but has yet to play there.
Another roster casualty as part of the deal was that pitcher Jake Thompson was designated for assignment. Thompson could conceivably clear waivers and head back to Triple-A. However, having been a top prospect once, another team may take a chance on him.
One interesting thing about Bour is that his contract has two more years of control on it. The Marlins may have been eager to unload the contract to get out of future obligations. The Phillies could keep Bour and try to fit him into their plans or make other plans. Immediately, Bour likely would be a left-handed pinch hitter for the Phillies. With Nick Williams starting every day, that has been something the Phillies have lacked.
In the field, Bour has never played a position in the major leagues other than first base, so aside from occasional starts there, he has no clear other landing spot. For the roster spot, the Phillies will likely have to send either Roman Quinn, J.P. Crawford or Scott Kingery to the minor leagues. Crawford was expected back this evening, while the Phillies would like to see more of Quinn, whose speed and defensive ability have been impressive so far.
Kingery could be the odd man out, while likely to return when rosters expand September 1.
Bour is batting .227 with 19 home runs and 54 runs batted in 112 games for the Marlins in 2018. Bour may best be known for his performance in the 2017 All-Star Game Home Run Derby. Matt Gelb of the Athletic notes that Bour has been devastating against Braves pitching, so he could help the Phillies down the stretch.
