By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Given both left-handers Austin Davis and Aaron Loup are currently on the 10-day disabled list, the Philadelphia Phillies added a new southpaw reliever to their bullpen arsenal Wednesday afternoon, acquiring Luis Avilan from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for RHP Felix Paulino. The Phillies designated RHP Jose Taveras for assignment as the corresponding move to make room for Avilan on the 40-man roster.
Avilan, 29, is 19-10 with a 3.09 ERA, 271-114 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.221 WHIP through seven seasons and 387 combined career appearances with the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, and most recently, the White Sox.
MLBTradeRumors.com's Jeff Todd writes:
"Though his 3.86 ERA doesn’t jump off the page, earned-run numbers aren’t the most relevant statistic for him. The 29-year-old has thrown only 39 2/3 innings in 58 appearances, a reflection of his specialist usage. He has also been hurt by a .352 BABIP-against that seems in line for some regression. … As has long been the case, Avilan has been stingy against opposing lefty batters in 2018. Through 77 plate appearances this year, they’re hitting just .214/.276/.286 against him without a single home run. …
The Phillies will presumably take over the balance of Avilan’s manageable $2.45MM salary, though that has not yet been made clear. He’ll be eligible for arbitration one final time this coming offseason, so the Phils will have an opportunity to keep him around if they so choose."
Like RHP Franklyn Kilome in the Asdrubal Cabrera trade with the New York Mets, the Phillies lost at least one young arm — while looking to bolster the big-league roster — through trading away 23-year-old Paulino. While not a top-30-ranked club prospect, Paulino posted a 3.91 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 92 innings and 31 appearances combined this season between High-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading.
Taveras, 24, appeared in just seven minor league games this season between the Gulf Coast League and Double-A Reading, going 0-1 with a 5.19 ERA and 14 strikeouts spanning 17 1/3 innings.
