Philadelphia Phillies acquire pitcher Michael Rucker in trade with Chicago Cubs
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - One week out from pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training, the Philadelphia Phillies added a new arm to the mix. The Phillies on Tuesday acquired right-handed pitcher Michael Rucker from the Chicago Cubs in a trade.
Philadelphia sent cash to Chicago for Rucker, who was designated for assignment on Feb. 1.
To make room for Rucker on the 40-man roster, the Phillies designated pitcher Andrew Bellatti for assignment.
Who is Michael Rucker?
Michael Rucker appeared in 35 games last season with the Chicago Cubs. The 29-year-old had a 4.91 ERA in 40 1/3 innings, striking out 40 batters, walking 19 and pitching to a 51.8% ground ball rate.
According to Baseball Savant, Rucker throws a four-seam fastball, cutter, slider, curveball, changeup and sinker. He mostly relies on his fastball, cutter, slider and curve. His fastball averaged 94.6 mph in 2023.
In 2022, Rucker had a 3.95 ERA in 41 games with Chicago.
The Cubs originally drafted Rucker out of BYU in the 11th round of the 2016 MLB draft. In the minors, Rucker has both started and relieved, making 44 starts in 138 career games over parts of seven seasons.
Rucker has one minor-league option remaining, which will give the Phillies flexibility with their bullpen.
The Phillies enter spring training with their bullpen mostly settled. There figures to be one, maybe two, spots available, which Rucker will compete with. The Rucker trade is a fringe move that will give Philadelphia optionality with its lower-leverage relievers.
What happens with Andrew Bellatti?
The Phillies have seven days to decide what they want to do with Andrew Bellatti. The collective bargaining agreement states any player who has been designated for assignment must be traded or placed on outright or unconditional release waivers within seven days.
So what happens next with Bellatti?
The 32-year-old was out of minor league options, meaning he would have to clear waivers to be sent to the minor leagues.
The Phils can either trade Bellatti, release him, or place him on outright waivers. If he were to clear outright waivers, Philadelphia could then assign him to one of its minor league teams.
Since Bellatti has less than five years of major league service time, he would not be able to reject the assignment. Additionally, since he has under three years of service time, he also would not be able to reject the assignment.
If Bellatti remains in the organization, he would not be on the team's 40-man roster, meaning he'd have to be added back on it to pitch in the majors.
If Bellatti clears unconditional release waivers, he would become a free agent.
Bellatti emerged as a middle-innings weapon for the Phillies in 2022 after he was signed to a minor-league contract. He posted a 3.31 ERA in 54 1/3 regular-season innings and had a 1.29 ERA in eight postseason games in 2022.
But last season, he couldn't replicate it. He posted a 5.11 ERA in 27 appearances in 2023 and was optioned back and forth between the majors and Triple A several times.
When is Phillies' "Truck Day"?
Good news for baseball fans: spring training begins next week. On Thursday, nearly two dozen members of the Phillies' front office will begin moving essential items to Clearwater, Florida, for spring training in three 28-foot trailers.
Truck Day begins at 6:15 a.m. when the trucks arrive at Citizens Bank Park. Items will be loaded into the trucks at 8 a.m. Around 11:40 a.m., the Phillies say the trucks will begin the journey to Clearwater on Pattison Avenue - the team will stage a photo opportunity for fans outside Citizens Bank on 18th and Market Streets around noon Thursday.
