Pat Neshek was by far the Phillies' best trade chip, but it wasn't at all surprising to see their return in Wednesday night's deal consist of three very young lottery tickets.
First off, as good as Neshek is, he's a two-month rental. He might pitch a grand total of 18 innings for the Rockies before hitting free agency. Yes, he has a 1.12 ERA, but his situation wasn't anywhere close to Andrew Miller's or Aroldis Chapman's last summer.
For Neshek and their other trade candidates, the Phillies are seeking young prospects who won't yet complicate their 40-man roster situation. The Phils already have a crowded 40-man roster picture and will have to add J.P. Crawford and Rhys Hoskins to it this winter to prevent them from being selected by another team in the Rule 5 draft.
A quick refresher course on the 40-man roster and Rule 5 draft eligibility:
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• If a player is 18 or younger when signed, he must be added to the 40-man roster within five years to avoid the Rule 5 draft. (Crawford was 18 years old when he was drafted in 2013, so this is the fifth and final year for him.)
• If a player is 19 or older when signed, he must be added to the 40-man roster within four years to avoid the Rule 5 draft. (Hoskins was 21 when he was drafted in 2014, so this is the fourth and final year for him.)
If the Phillies want to take a look at reliever Jesen Therrien soon, they'll have to add him to the 40-man roster. If they want to check out starting pitcher Tom Eshelman next season, that's another addition. Same goes for outfielder Andrew Pullin. Plus, any free agents or veteran players they acquire via trade this offseason would have to be added to the 40.
So it was the Phillies' intent to not add even more names to a growing list. Had they added a player closer to the majors in the Neshek trade, it could have cost them another prospect they like. This cluttered picture is why someone like Mark Appel is a non-tender candidate after the season.
For Neshek, the Phillies acquired three players all in Single A. Two of them are 20 years old and the other is 23.
Alejandro Requena
The 20-year-old right-hander was 17 when he signed with the Rockies in 2014. He does not need to be protected from the Rule 5 draft until after the 2018 season.
Requena was 8-3 with a 2.85 ERA in 19 starts this season at Class A Asheville, which is a hitter-friendly park. He's walked just 2.0 batters per nine innings since turning pro.
J.D. Hammer
First off, great name, we can all agree on that.
Hammer, 23, was 21-years-old when he signed out of Marshall University in 2016. He does not need to be protected from the Rule draft until after the 2019 season.
Hammer, a reliever, dominated at Class A Asheville, posting a 1.20 ERA with 47 strikeouts and five walks in 30 innings. That earned him a promotion to High A Lancaster - the Lancaster in California, not Pennsylvania.
All told, Hammer has a 2.36 ERA with 13.9 strikeouts per nine innings this season.
Jose Gomez
The 20-year-old infield prospect signed as a 17-year-old in 2014, so like Requena, he does not need to be added to the 40-man roster until after the 2018 season.
Gomez hit .324 in 351 plate appearances with Asheville this season and has hit .316 since turning pro.
He's another lottery ticket, basically a younger version of Jesmuel Valentin, the utility infielder the Phillies acquired from the Dodgers for Roberto Hernandez in August 2014.
