The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded left-handed pitcher Kyle Lobstein to the Baltimore Orioles for left-handed pitcher Zach Phillips. Lobstein was designated for assignment yesterday to make room on the 40-man roster for Kelvin Marte.
Lobstein had a 3.96 ERA in 25 innings for the Pirates this season over 14 appearances. He has spent the rest of the season in Indianapolis, where he had a 4.11 ERA in 50.1 innings, seeing time as a spot starter and a reliever.
Phillips is a 29-year-old lefty, who has played parts of three seasons in the majors (2011-13). He has spent this season in Triple-A and will report to Indianapolis. He isn’t on the 40-man roster. In 49 appearances this year, he has a 4.45 ERA in 60.2 innings, with 84 strikeouts. He has a 3.45 ERA in 15.2 innings over 19 Major League games.
+ postsJohn started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball.
When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.
The O’s already dfa’d Lobstein when they claimed Drew Stubbs. Seems kind of odd.
It wasn’t a “trade”. the O’s claimed lobstein and NH got someone for him
Unbelievable!
But, “the Plan, the Plan,…where is this valuable exchange in the Plan…..?”
Garbage in garbage out…rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic
Freed up a 40 man roster spot.
Despite the smart talk around here, this trade looks basically like a wash, a sideways deal where neither team will likely see anything good out of it. So why do it? Sometimes a change of scenery, etc………………………………………………
the trade was because they needed the 40 man roster spot and Lobstein got claimed. So they made something work for both teams. It’s not like they went out and targeted Phillips.
Trade was made because Indianapolis is short on pitching. Most of them have come up with us.
Was it really necessary to call up the likes of Kelvin Marte?
Who should they have called up?
No one – I know teams can expand their rosters on 9/1, but are they required to expand them some minimum number?
We needed pitching after the extra innings game Monday and the short outing of the Starter on Sunday. Thankfully Kuhl was able to 5 innings but in his last outing against Chicago he had not made it 3 so they needed insurance. No one has to add any players, but its beneficial to get players some playing time as well as resting your starters.
The Orioles made that trade because they want another opportunity to make up for that Snider deal they majorly loss!!
If the Orioles thought Phillips was any good they would have brought him up instead of trading him for Lobstein. Just like if the Blue Jays thought Hutchinson was any good they would have brought him up instead of trading him for Liriano
That’s a lot of strikeouts. Like, a LOT.
We didn’t put a prospect in that deal?
Nope. Lobstein isn’t owed $18 million for the rest of this season and next season. Are you “up-voting” yourself again, eggfoo?
No I am. Am I not allowed too?
You’re allowed to. Thanks. Let’s me know who else to not take seriously.
With me its 50/50 but thats because I choose to enjoy life and not be so stuffy all the time. If you take life to seriously youll never get out alive. My life does not continue nor end based upon the comments on this site. Its called entertainment if you do not like it thats ok. others do. Thank you for time.
PTBNL!!!! I am thinking we will add Jose Osuna to the deal.
Carlos Munoz.
I assume a 29 year old AAA player will be eligible for minor league free agency at the end of the season and Indianapolis is not going to the playoffs. So the point of this trade is?? …unless the Pirates plan on adding Phillips to the roster after rosters expand tomorrow.
I think it’s to get Indy through the end of the season. After the DFA Lobstein has to sit and wait to clear waivers, and can elect to leave. That leaves Indy even further short after the Marte call up and Neveraukus suspension, and with more guys going up soon. So they swap meaningless guys but Phillips is actually available to eat a few innings for Indy. The upside here is that it lessens the need to deplete Altoona while they are playoff bound.
Bargaining rights in free agency, Gives coaches a chance to evaluate whether he is worth minor league deal and possible invite to spring training, we don’t lose lobstein for nothing, but also like Lee said, NH was bored.
NH was bored. He hadn’t made a trade all day.
Don’t quit your day job.
This one is fine..they both suck
I’m sure the Nutting/Huntington haters will find something wrong with this trade too.
smh.
The NH apologists and kool-aid drinkers will insist that Phillips is a great pickup and value, like Jaff Decker, Jason Rogers, and Drew Hutchison were…
Its a vanilla deal that neither adds nor detracts value to the team. So its background noise.
…..and there it is!
and there you are – the apologist in chief!
And there you are . . . The idiot-in-chief.
…. from the mouth of the site whiny bitch
With the way you’re throwing another fit, I assume you were a Lobstein fan?
What? They didn’t even TRY to trade him for Mike Trout? Are they even trying to win? lol
Trade a lobster for a trout. That would be fishy at worst.
Way off base, never should have tried that…. Manny Machado though they should have. Totally could have work out a Lobstein for Manny trade.
The Pirates selected Pedro Alvarez and could have selected Posey or Manny Machado. They already had their chance at Machado. Who’s better Lobstein or Alvarez?
You do realize we were all joking right? Just checking.
The O’s wanted Polo or Ramirez back in the deal but were unaware that we’d already moved them.
I heard that they were willing to offer us some guy named Pedro Álvarez. I say why not? He deserves a shot with the Pirates!
Damn. I think Polo and Lobstein really could have brought Manny. 🙂
That is so unrealistic it’s not even funny.
Lobstein for Trout? Straight up?
Any decent GM would have the Angels cover half of Trout’s salary with that swap.