According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Philadelphia Phillies have acquired Clay Buchholz from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for second base prospect Josh Tobias.
The 32 year old Buchholz has had an uneven career with the Red Sox posting a career 81-61 record with a 3.96 ERA and a 1.303 WHIP. Notably, Buchholz struggled last season, and he was demoted to the bullpen for a stretch. Overall, Buchholz would make 21 starts and 16 relief appearances going 8-10 with a 4.78 ERA and a 1.328 WHIP. Buchholz is scheduled to be a free agent after the season.
Tobias was the Phillies 2015 10th round draft pick out of the University of Florida. Last season, Tobias split time between the Sally and Florida State Leagues. In his combined 127 games at these levels, he hit .291/.362/.422 with nine homers and 69 RBI.
Given Buchholz’s $13.5 million salary next year, the Phillies have presumably obtained him to round out their starting rotation. With the Phillies giving up a former 10th round draft pick, the move seems like a low risk high reward move for a rebuilding team.
