Phillies Make Another Trade, Acquire Infield Depth From Tigers

The Detroit Tigers have traded Buddy Kennedy to the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday in exchange for cash considerations, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Kennedy, 25, is moving closer to home after he was designated for assignment by the Tigers on Monday. When the Tigers promoted Justyn-Henry Malloy from Triple-A Toledo, sending Spencer Torkelson to the minor leagues opened a spot on the 26-man roster and designated Kennedy for assignment opened a spot on the 40-man roster. Kennedy is now a member of the Phillies 40-man roster and will play for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Phillies Acquire Buddy Kennedy from the Tigers

Kennedy becomes the latest depth addition for a Phillies club that acquired Ruben Cardens and Jonah Dipoto in separate trades. Kennedy, a Philadelphia native, played baseball at Millville High School in New Jersey, just over 4o miles from Citizens Bank Park. His grandfather, Don Money, played for the Phillies from 1968-72. The Tigers designated Kenney for assignment due to Ryan Kreidler and Eddys Leonard returning from Triple-A Toledo on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. After their returns, Kreidler and Leonard moved ahead of Kennedy for a promotion if the Tigers needed an infielder in the majors.

Kennedy’s Career

Kennedy is joining his fifth organization since September. He’s a career .205 hitter in 136 triples to the plate in the majors. His larger body of work in the minors was impressive. Over the 2021 to 2023 seasons, he hit .287/.395/.455. He did all that while playing at second and third base, with some stints at first base and left field. His minor league performance made him popular last year. He was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks in September. But he did bounce around to Oakland, St. Louis and Detroit through waiver claims. His performance this year has been unimpressive, hitting .234/.331/.393 in Triple-A. That underperformance has put him unclaimed until the trade. The Diamondbacks did outright him after the 2022 season.