The Phillies have acquired left-hander José Alvarado from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-way trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the club announced today. To complete the deal, the Phillies have sent left-hander Garrett Cleavinger to the Dodgers, who will send infielder Dillon Paulson and a player to be named later to the Rays.
Over a four-year career, all with the Rays, Alvarado, 25, has appeared in 149 games with a 3.46 ERA and has struck out 27.9% of the total batters he has faced. Among all active pitchers with at least 130.0 innings pitched since 2017, Alvarado’s .302 opponent’s slugging percentage is the eighth-best mark in the majors and among all left-handers, ranks fourth behind only Aroldis Chapman (.267), Zack Britton (.281) and Aaron Bummer (.298). He appeared in nine games for the Rays last season and posted a 6.00 ERA (6 ER, 9.0 IP) with 13 strikeouts.
The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Alvarado set career bests in most categories in 2018, when he appeared in 70 games for the Rays and posted a 2.39 ERA and held the 263 batters he faced to a .183/.276/.249 slash line. That season, his 2.1 fWAR ranked fourth among all American League relievers.
Cleavinger, originally selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the third round of the June 2015 draft, was acquired by the Phillies with outfielder Hyun Soo Kim in July of 2017 in exchange for right-hander Jeremy Hellickson. He made one appearance for the Phillies this past season, his major league debut on September 17 against the New York Mets.