Ricky Otero remains the only Otero to play with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies picked up reliever Dan Otero early this offseason, but he will not throw a pitch for them. Otero was designated for assignment by the Phillies in order to make room for one of the prospects acquired from the Houston Astros in the Ken Giles trade. The Phillies had 10 days to slip Otero through waivers, trade his contract, or release him. The Phillies ended up making a trade.
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Phillies and the Cleveland Indians made a deal:
#Phillies announce trade of RHP Dan Otero to #Indians for cash considerations.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 18, 2015
"Cash Considerations" is a polite way of essentially saying he was traded for nothing other than a few bucks. But hey, the Phillies spent nothing to claim Otero, and they got a few bucks in return. Maybe that money could be used to grab a Rule 5 pick someday.
Otero has pitched for the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics in his career. The 30 year-old reliever is a lifetime 12-6 with a 3.46 earned run average in 158 games. Otero was a nice piece to grab when the Phillies had roster space available, but the team has been able to bring other relievers into Spring Training on Minor League deals that Otero was expendable