The Phillies have traded Jesse Biddle, the Germantown Friends product and former first-round pick, to the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to two sources. The No. 27 overall pick in 2010, Biddle’s ascent up the Phillies organization has been consistently halted by bad luck.
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There was much speculation at the time that the team would attempt to get him through waivers, and return him to their minor league system until his recovery from the surgery. He told Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer earlier this week that he had pitched through elbow pain this past season and admitted it was not a “mature decision”. But I made the choice to go out there and pitch and that’s what is on the back of my baseball card. He recorded a 5.05 ERA in 16 starts with Double-A Reading in 2014 and then a combined 4.95 ERA in 24 starts between Reading and Lehigh Valley in 2015. “This is a move made to benefit us three years down the road”. The Pirates nonetheless see potential in the hard-throwing lefty, who struck out more than a batter per inning in 2012 and 2013.
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The Pirates have had plenty of recent success rebuilding talented young arms. However, the pitcher’s career has been out of sorts over the past two seasons and the latest rumors find he’s been traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Medina should be invited to Spring Training in a few weeks, but is not guaranteed a role on the Major League roster.
