Technically, the Phillies did make a trade at the Winter Meetings. It was a minor league deal that sent a relief pitcher to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for a minor leaguer starter. Philadelphia acquired Yoniel Curet from the Rays in exchange for Tommy McCollum on the final day of baseball’s Winter Meetings.
Curet is a 23-year-old right-hander who had been designated for assignment by Tampa just prior to the start of the Winter Meetings. The Rays signed Curet as an international free agent and he started his career in the Dominican Summer League in 2021 prior to joining the Rays Florida Complex League the following season. Injuries have delayed Curet’s development as a professional, costing him parts of each of the past two seasons. In 2024, he missed time due to a lat strain but he moved from High-A to Double-A after 21 starts at the lower level where he posted a 3.28 ERA. With Double-A Montgomery, Curet went 4-0 with a 1.75 ERA in five starts.
Last season also got off to a late start for Curet because of a shoulder injury. The exact nature of the injury was not disclosed but it has been termed as “significant.” His season debut came in mid-June on a rehab assignment back in the Complex League and after three outings there was moved up to Double-A where he made five starts and went 1-0, 1.45. August and September of last season were spent at Triple-A where Curet pitched to a 1-3, 6.03 mark with Durham. His final three starts resulted in just 9.2 innings with an 11.17 ERA. In his first outing in the Dominican Winter League this year, Curet gave up three earned runs without getting an out. After three weeks off, Curet made a start and gave up two more earned runs in 0.2 innings of work.
THE READ-IN: AFL Scouting Report: Tommy McCollum
As for McCollum, the 26-year-old pitched primarily at Double-A Reading this past season where he posted a 3.20 ERA with nine saves in 12 opportunities. When he was bumped up to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he pitched 2.2 innings in three outings with a 6.75 ERA. In the AFL this season, McCollum made five relief appearances with a 6.30 ERA.
If a swap of minor league players between Philly and Tampa sounds familiar, it was six years ago when the two teams got together and the Phillies sent infielder Curtis Mead to Tampa for a young lefty named Cristopher Sanchez. It took a while, but Sanchez progressed into a top of the rotation type starter for the Phillies. Mead, meanwhile, made his MLB debut in 2023 with Tampa and was dealt to the Chicago White Sox last year at the trade deadline in the deal that brought pitcher Adrian Houser to Tampa.
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