Link: Star-Telegram | 04/02/2006 | Dellucci traded to Phillies for pitching.
After finding out that pitcher Adam Eaton will be out three months with a finger injury, the Rangers made a major move Saturday and sent starting left fielder David Dellucci to Philadelphia for 24-year-old right-handed pitcher Robinson Tejeda and outfielder Jake Blalock.
Blalock is the younger brother of Rangers third baseman Hank Blalock.
It appears as if the Phillies have found their fifth outfielder. There have been rumors about their interest in Dellucci for some time now.
This will be Dellucci's tenth season in the big leagues, the bulk of his career having been with the Arizona Diamondbacks. During his career as a lefthanded batter, he's put up an OPS+ of 100, exactly league average. Last season was one of Dellucci's best. He played in 128 games, the most ever for him, and a 124 OPS+, while playing for Texas. Dellucci can play all three outfield positions but is best in the corners.
It's a trade that creates some needed depth for the Phillies, who needed some additional power off of the bench from the lefthand side in pinch-hitting situations and as an insurance against injury, or, poor play from Shane Victorino. Most people expect Victorino to be a good player, but no one can say they know he will. In Dellucci, the Phillies know what they are getting.
To get Dellucci, the Phillies dealt from a perceived position of weakness -- pitching. Tejeda was someone that could have provided depth for either the rotation or the bullpen. However, his Achilles heel was an inability to consistently hit the strikezone. He got away with it last year, but two years in a row is a lot to ask, and it's possible Pat Gillick felt Tejeda would never turn the corner in that respect.
Overall, the trade probably makes the Phillies better.
What is now left in doubt is the status of Chris Coste. For Coste to make the team, David Bell will have to start off the season on the disabled list. That is doubtful, as Bell insists he can play, and, he backed it up with a 4-5 performance with a homerun in yesterday's exhibition game against the Red Sox.
