(Sports Talk Philly/Frank Klose)
When the Phillies had to open up some roster spots, there was the chance that they would lose some of their players. First, Elvis Araujo was traded to the Miami Marlins. Then, the Phillies designated for assignment the contracts of pitchers David Buchanan and Jimmy Cordero. That move gave the Phillies 10 days to trade, reassign, or release the players. The Phillies worked out a trade for Cordero.
The Phillies announced that Cordero was sent to the Washington Nationals:
#Phillies have traded RHP Jimmy Cordero to the Washington Nationals for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
— Phillies (@Phillies) November 23, 2016
The Phillies may have planned to try to slip Cordero through waivers.
What likely happened is that the Washington Nationals stated their intention to put a claim on Cordero and the two clubs worked out this trade. Cordero was known for his high velocity, but spent most of 2016 injured. After being invited to Spring Training, Cordero ended up appearing in just 22 games over the Gulf Coast League, High-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading. Cordero went 2-3 with a 5.00 earned run average.
The Phillies acquired Cordero and pitcher Alberto Tirado from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Ben Revere in 2015. Tirado was added to the Phillies 40-man roster just last week. After a strong 2016 season mostly spent at Low-A Lakewood, Tirado remains a promising prospect for the Phillies.
