By Sam Bush
Antonio Bastardo was that most insufferable of pitchers:
Sometimes he would be glorious and sometimes he would be inglorious.
On the heels of another solid season for the Phillies, relief pitcher Bastardo has been moved to the Pittsburgh Pirates. In return, the Phillies acquired Joely Rodriguez, a minor league arm.
Bastardo, 29, has spent the last six years with the Phillies. Over the last two seasons, he has compiled an 8-9 record with a 3.29 ERA and 128 strikeouts in 106.2 innings pitched.
Despite finding personal success with the Phillies, the team continued to struggle during that span. Prior to the deal taking place, Bastardo made it clear that he wanted out of Philadelphia, via Ryan Lawrence of Philly.com:
For my career, it could be way better to be somewhere else. If there was a team interested in me, I could be a part of a team and … help more. Be more in the game, stuff like that. Help them, and it could help me in my career. I’m moving forward not to be a mop-up guy in the game. I just like to be in the [biggest] spot that I can get.
The deal is an interesting one after the Phillies reportedly traded veteran shortstop Jimmy Rollins to the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier in the day. With both players out the door, several more moves might be on the horizon for Philly.
Meanwhile, the Phillies get younger with a reliever that has pitched well at the Double-A level. Given the way the team appears to be moving after reportedly trading Rollins, bringing in young players seems like an ideal goal for a rebuilding club.
