John Mayberry Jr. traded to Toronto Blue Jays
By Hayden Kane
The Philadelphia Phillies finally did end up executing a trade before the end of the day on Sunday. With overpaid veteran players available to help contenders and even a willingness to absorb payroll to make deals work in certain cases, it stood to reason that some Phillies player would be on the move via trade.
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On Sunday that player was…John Mayberry, Jr. That is not exactly what people had in mind, but it is a move to free up a spot on their roster nevertheless.
CSN Philly has the details of the trade that sent Mayberry to the Toronto Blue Jays:
"John Mayberry Jr.’s tenure with the Phillies is over.Mayberry, who played parts of six seasons with the club, was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays Sunday night in exchange for minor-league third baseman Gustavo Pierre."
At certain points in his career, Mayberry has shown the kind of right-handed power that teams are always looking for in today’s big leagues. From 2011 to 2013 he produced double-digit home runs, playing in a career-high 149 games in 2012. For a part-time player, those numbers are solid. In 2014 Mayberry has six home runs in just 63 games played.
Part of the appeal for the Blue Jays here might also be the fact that they have Mayberry under team control through 2017. A cheap, cost-controlled bat, even a guy with limited upside, is almost always going to be a solid pickup. In Toronto’s case right now, that also signals that this move is interested in the next couple seasons just as much as it is the current one.
Be sure to stay tuned to FanSided for all of the latest MLB news, moves, and analysis as the 2014 season heads towards the playoff stretch.