The Philadelphia Phillies have made a move to solidify outfield depth on the eve of the 2023 MLB regular season. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced the acquisition of Oakland Athletics outfielder Cristian Pache in exchange for minor league pitcher Billy Sullivan. The Phillies moved injured first baseman Rhys Hoskins to the 60-day IL to make room for Pache on the 40-man roster.
Pache, 24, was signed as an international free agent by the Atlanta Braves in July 2015. He quickly climbed the Atlanta farm system, participating in three minor league All-Star games and the 2019 MLB Futures Game. The Dominican Republic native was named to the 2019 MLB Pipeline All-Defensive Team.
Pache was considered the Braves’ top prospect according to MLB Pipeline prior to his 2020 MLB debut on August 18 against the Phillies.
However, his regular season only lasted two regular season games. He was selected for the Braves 2020 MLB Postseason roster going 4-for-25 with a homer and one RBI. He spent parts of the 2021 season on the Braves roster before being injured and sent back to Triple-A Gwinnett. Pache also appeared on the Braves 2021 NLDS and NLCS roster, but did not register statistically.
He was traded to Oakland prior to the 2022 regular season as part of the deal sending Matt Olson to Atlanta.
Pache was Oakland’s Opening Day center fielder but optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas by the end of June. He slashed .166/.218/.241 with three homers, 18 RBIs, and two stolen bases during the 2022 regular season.
For his MLB career, Pache is slashing .156/.205/.439 with four homers, 22 RBIs, and two stolen bases.
Despite the lackluster batting numbers, Pache is still considered one of the top defensive outfielders in baseball. He will join a Phillies outfield including Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, and Brandon Marsh. A bench/depth piece, Pache -who is out of minor league options- will join Dalton Guthrie or Jake Cave as the other reserve outfielder.
The Phils open the 2023 campaign on Thursday, March 30 at 4:05 PM/EDT in Arlington, Texas against the Texas Rangers.
