ANGELS ADD BRANDON PHILLIPS FOR STRETCH
The Los Angeles Angels acquired infielder Brandon Phillips from the Atlanta Braves for catcher Tony Sanchez.
What does it give the Los Angeles Angels
The Angels are muscling up for a run at the American League Wild Card in September. First, they added Justin Upton from Detroit to play left field, and now they add veteran Phillips to secure second base. Despite being 36 years old, Phillips is a clear upgrade over Kaleb Cowart at this point.
What does it give the Atlanta Braves
In Sanchez, the Braves get a journeyman catcher who last appeared in the big leagues in 2015 with the Pirates. Atlanta will evaluate Sanchez this month to see if he can be a part of their plans for 2018 (likely in the role of backup catcher). This was a strange pickup for a non-contending team.
Fantasy impact
Phillips should have a nice spike in fantasy value after moving to the contending Angels, though it will likely be only for the short term. Sanchez, on the other hand, provides very little fantasy value regardless of where he plays.
