The Phillies made a trade. A typical trade in the rebuild, acquiring a veteran who can help the team now, and in the future as a potential trade asset.
There’s been a trend of the Phils acquiring players with familiarity to GM Matt Klentak. Whether it’s acquiring players he’s seen from divisional rivals or from previous regimes in Baltimore or with the Angels, this has been a continued trend for Klentak and company.
While Clay Buchholz falls into this category (pitched in AL east while Klentak/Macphail were in Baltimore), there’s more to this deal than the familiarity between Buchholz and the Phillies management, and that’s pitching coach Bob McClure.