The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired outfielder Ben Revere and cash considerations from the Philadelphia Phillies for minor league pitching prospects Jimmy Cordero and Alberto Tirado.
Revere, 27, is a speedy, left-handed hitting outfielder with range in the outfield and some ability to reach base. He has next to no power — just three home runs in 2,414 career plate appearances — and a weak throwing arm, but considerable experience at the MLB level.
Revere’s batting .298 with a .334 on-base percentage and a .374 slugging percentage in 388 plate appearances this season. Those respectable marks are in line with his career batting line of .292/.326/.345, and represent an improvement over his 2014 numbers, though he led the NL with 184 hits last year.
Revere has spent the majority of his career in centre field, but he has experience in both outfield corners. In Toronto he’d project as a regular contributor in left field along with Danny Valencia.
Tirado, 20, has a 3.23 ERA with 61 strikeouts and 35 walks in 61.1 innings with the Class A Dunedin Blue Jays this season. The right-handed native of the Dominican Republic places ninth on MLB.com’s ranking of all Blue Jays prospects.
Cordero, a 23-year-old right-hander, has a 2.70 ERA in 32 relief appearances with Dunedin and double-A New Hampshire this season.
While recent acquisitions David Price and Mark Lowe are rentals set to hit free agency after the 2015 season, Revere’s an arbitration eligible player who’s under team control through 2017. He makes $4.1 million in 2015 and will earn a raise if tendered a contract for 2016.
The Blue Jays also acquired relievers Mark Lowe and LaTroy Hawkins to go along with two major acquisitions: David Price and Troy Tulowitzki.
Todd Zolecki of MLB.com first reported the trade, and Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia first reported the Phillies’ return.
