Brewers trade away David Phelps

The Philadelphia Phillies acquired right-hander David Phelps from the Milwaukee Brewers before Monday's trade deadline for three players to be named.

The 33-year-old Phelps is 2-3 with a 2.77 ERA in 12 games this season. He has struck out 20 and allowed only seven hits, four earned runs and two walks in 13 innings.

Phelps sensed there was a chance he could get traded. He's been moved near the trade deadline twice before, going from Miami to Seattle in 2017 and from Toronto to the Chicago Cubs in 2019.

“You look around that (Brewers) clubhouse, you see the controllable arms they have, especially in the bullpen, and they dealt from a place of strength, for sure," Phelps said. "It caught me off-guard in the sense that it was as close that I've ever been traded to the deadline, but it's always a possibility. It's a team that's looking at more than just this year, they like what they have in the bullpen currently, even minus me, and (are) looking at ways they can improve their farm system, so from a business standpoint, it makes sense."

Overall, Phelps is 34-37 with a 3.83 ERA in 281 career appearances with the Yankees, Marlins, Mariners, Blue Jays, Cubs and Brewers.

Phelps had been filling a setup role in the Brewers' bullpen, which has been the team's biggest strength thus far.

“It became very clear early on that David was an attractive player to a number of teams,” Brewers general manager David Stearns said. “We did our due diligence, as we always do, and listened and ultimately we found a deal that we thought was important for us to make. We also think we have some depth in our bullpen and we're dealing from an area of strength.”