The Philadelphia Phillies have started the rebuilding process.
Two days after getting swept by the Atlanta Braves and a few hours before the Major League Baseball trade deadline, the Phillies traded center fielder Shane Victorino to the Los Angeles Dodgers for righthanded reliever Josh Lindbolm, 25, and righthander Ethan Martin, who's currently in double-A.
The deal also includes a player to be named later or cash, the Phillies announced.
“Mahalo to the (at)Phillies and the AMAZING fans in Philly for a great run. A lot of unforgettable memories in this city. I’ll miss you guys!” Victorino wrote on Twitter.
Later Tuesday, the Phillies traded rightfielder Hunter Pence to the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Nate Schierholtz, minor-league catcher Tommy Joseph and minor-league righthanded pitcher Seth Rosin.
“I don’t think anyone really anticipated the season that’s gone on,” Pence told reporters in Washington after the trade. “It was the perfect storm of injuries and things didn’t go right for us, so that’s the way the business of the game is and you have to understand that.
“Everything is understood. The Phillies are going in a different direction. We had a great run at it. Now I’m going a different way.”
Lindbolm is 2-2 with a 3.02 ERA for the Dodgers this season in 48 games. He has 43 strikeouts and 18 walks in 47.2 innings.
Martin is 8-6 with a 3.53 ERA as a starter for double-A Chattanooga with 112 strikeouts and 68 walks in 118 innings. He was the Dodgers' first-round pick in 2008.
Victorino was hitting .261 with nine home runs and 40 RBIs for the Phillies this season.
“He is definitely a character and also he can handle in a real good way at times,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “Other times, he’s also worried about everything. Really. He’s worried about somebody in the stands. He’s worried about this. He’s worried about that. He’s worried about everything. You’re like, can I question how focused he can stay for a long period of time? But I look at his talent, and his talent was tremendous.”
"Wishing my Lil Hawaiian brother all the best & continued success," Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins posted on his Twitter account. "Although he is no longer rockin' the P he has definitely left his mark!"
Schierholtz, 28, was hitting .257 with five doubles, five triples, five home runs and 17 RBI in 77 games. A left-handed hitter, Schierholtz has made 37 starts in right field this year.
As a pinch-hitter this year, he had six hits in 28 at-bats (.214), but for his career owns a .296 (37-125) pinch average with two home runs and 16 RBI.
Selected in the second round by the Giants in the 2003 draft, Schierholtz had spent his entire professional career with the organization and is a career .270 hitter with 23 home runs, 119 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 503 major league games.
Joseph, 21, was hitting .260 with eight home runs and 38 RBI in 80 games for double-A Richmond this season.
Rosin, 23, has gone 2-1 with 10 saves and a 4.31 ERA in 34 games (five starts) for single-A San Jose this season. In his 56.1 innings pitched, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound right-hander has 68 strikeouts.
This season for the Phillies, Pence was hitting .271 with 17 home runs and 59 RBI in 101 games. He was leading the Phillies in runs (59), hits (108), home runs, RBI, walks (37) and total bases (178) and was tied for the lead in games.
Earlier in the day, outfield prospect Dominic Brown was pulled from his start with triple-A Lehigh Valley and is on his way to Washington for tonight's Phillies game.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story)
