Report: Phillies May Trade for Astros Reliever
No Ed Wade? No problem. Rube still has a Texas business to holdup.
Jim Salisbury is reporting that the Phillies are going after Astros reliever Wilton Lopez. He had a 2.17 ERA in 64 games last season.
Lopez is 29 and has appeared in 213 games for the Astros since 2009. His career ERA is 3.14, but it has been under three every year since 2010. He struck out 54 and walked only eight last season.
As Salisbury notes, Lopez is arbitration eligible and would likely serve as a setup man for Jonathan Papelbon. Ryan Madson, who was a target, signed with the Angels yesterday.
UPDATE: Jon Heyman reports the deal is almost done and the teams are just finalizing details.