Braves trade Brandon Phillips to Angels for minor league catcher
CHICAGO – The Braves traded veteran Brandon Phillips to the Angels for journeyman minor league catcher Tony Sanchez, a deal that Phillips had to approve and did so only after talking with his mother, brother and other family members for hours while the Braves were playing the Cubs.
Phillips, 36, has lived most of his life in Stone Mountain outside Atlanta and said leaving the Braves was harder than being traded from his longtime Reds team six months ago just before spring training.
But his family convinced him that going to the Angels to pursue a World Series ring was the right call and that he should approve the trade.
“I didn’t want to leave my family; it’s fun playing for the Braves,” he said. “Hopefully I can come back next year or whatever’s in the future for me. It’s really tough to leave the team that I grew up watching. This decision is much harder than leaving the Reds, honestly. Just being around the family and stuff like that. So my family made this decision for me. I’m going to go out there and do what I’ve been doing. My dream is to get a ring and that’s what I have a chance to really do now.”
Phillips had a partial no-trade clause that included 12 teams, one of which was the Angels. The three-time former All-Star second baseman had to approve any trade to any team on the list, and he did just before the midnight deadline for teams to acquire players if they’re to be eligible for postseason rosters.
“The Angels called us today about Brandon,” Braves general manager John Coppolella said. “We didn’t call them. We felt obligated to share this with Brandon because it means a chance to go to the playoffs and a trade assignment bonus.”
The Angels agreed to pay the $500,000 assignment bonus that Phillips had negotiated into his contract when he agreed to the trade from the Reds to the Braves.
The Reds were responsible for $13 million of Phillips’ $14 million salary this season in the final year of his contract. He’ll be a free agent this winter and Coppolella said the Braves “will strongly consider” him as an option this winter.
The Braves will use the last month of the season to further evaluate rookies Johan Camargo and Rio Ruiz at third base, the position Phillips had played since being supplanted at second base at the beginning of August when the Braves called up second-base prospect Ozzie Albies
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