To make room on the 40 man roster for Roberto Hernandez the Phillies have designated Sebastian Valle for assignment. Valle was once a top prospect in the Phillies system and was ranked #3 on a very weak Top 30 after the 2011 season.
Valle is a good defender but he hasn’t had a walk rate above 5.6% and strikeout rate below 20.8% over the past 4 seasons. Valle is still young at age 23, but he has been passed on the depth chart by Rupp and Joseph. Valle has one minor league option remaining so another team may take a flyer on him to see if they can find value. For the Phillies he has little value or playing time and they likely tried trading him before this move.
Update (12/20):
The Phillies have announced that Sebastian Valle has cleared waivers and outrighted to AAA (this in no way reflects his final placement because of weird roster stuff). Valle will remain in the organization for 2014 and will be a minor league free agent due to service time. Valle will likely go to AA with Tommy Joseph in 2014, and given his good stats in the Mexican Winter League, he may still be a backup yet.
Phuture Phillies 
What are the chances he passes through waivers? Pretty good right?
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I think he gets claimed by a team that thinks they can pass him through waivers later
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Who saw Valle as the next one to go on the 40 man???
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Do you think this is related to Marson signing a minor league deal and freeing up playing time?
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no they had to designate someone for hernandez
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more likely they signed marson as minor league depth because they knew they were releasing valle to make room on the 40 man.
If he DOES pass through waivers, perhaps they cut marson again.
However, I suspect some team will pick him up in the hopes they can fix his swing.
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Is Gillies really worth a spot more than Valle? I guess Phils didn’t have a spot for Valle in AA or AAA w/ Rupp and Joseph likely around. Oh well.
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Yes, probably so, especially with Rupp, Joseph and Marson around. Nice pick with Marson, by the way. If he can develop just a tiny bit of power he becomes a nice back-up.
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And now the Phillies have the rights to both “fighting O’Sullivan” brothers (I believe Sean and Ryan are brothers).
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Not that I expected Valle to figure things out this year and become a .300 hitter but look at some of the other names on the 40 man?? Savery, Horst, Luis Garcia, idiot Gillies.
I guess keeping all of those 3-4 is a better option than the possibility of keeping a 23 year old catcher who was once a top 5 prospect in the organization.
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I agree with your “idiot” Gillies comment. I feel bad about his hearing impairment, but he’s seems like a total nut job and a total waste of talent. Whatever you do, don’t follow him on twitter. It’s time for RAJ to admit the Lee package from Seattle was a loss, and just cut ties with Gillies.
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If RAJ knew that he was going to sign another FA and would have to cut Valle from the 40-man, then the biggest idiocy is not cutting him prior to the Rule 5, so that we could have taken another player with the #7 pick in the draft. When another guy like Hernandez (ugh!) is eventually added, the other guys you list could be cut, or the draftee could be traded.
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I understand you point but I think they his release was more of a favor to him. With Rupp starting in AAA and Marson (a veteran backing him up with major league experience) there was no spot for him at AAA. Sure, he could have repeated AA…again, but would not have started and took developmental time away from Joseph (although I guess he could have backed him up) But being a backup catcher at AA for the 3rd year isn’t doing the guy any favors. He will go somewhere and have a better opportunity. That is the right thing to do, he hasn’t progressed and the odds of him contributing at the major league level is minimal. I have no problem letting him go.
As far as the other guys, I am not thrilled with them either but because they are pitchers or outfielders, they will have the ability to play and progress (though unlikely)…but at least the opportunity will be there. The opportunity for Valle has passed.
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Also, remember when Valle was rumored to be traded along with Cloyd for Wilton Lopez but the Phillies balked with concerns with Lopez’s arm. Well, both are out of the organization, neither really contributed at the major league level and Lopez pitched in 75 games.
If that indeed was the trade, the Phillies look foolish for not pulling the trigger. They would have gave up nothing.
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Valle was a terrible hitter who was not going to adapt to advanced pitching…and his defense, if you ever saw him in person, was highly overrated. He was not a good defender behind the plate.
Granted there is other dead wood on the 40 man but he wont be missed if he’s claimed.
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Still think Valle could do more in the majors than some AAAA relievers but Marson fills in the position. Often Catchers take awhile to develop (as Molina and Ruiz took time to get their bats going). Phillies were fairly patient with Valle but then rushed him up because of Joseph and last year was a mess.
I agree he’s been around seemingly forever and appears he will not be able to hit enough with average defense to carve out a major league role. Given Adams hindsight, would have saved a bunch of money to have gotten Lopez.
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Read in the media today, that Philly had to make a choice. Evidently between Joseph and Valle at the AA level. I think it is more like a bet. Since Joseph has had multiple concussions the last of which took some 6 months to recover from, and it is a proven medical fact that the more concussions one has, the more susceptible to further concussions one becomes, the bet they made is that Joseph will return full time to Catching, and never again get a hard foul ball back into the mask.
And what is the lack of room ? Even if be miracle of miracles Joseph did become what he was intended to be when thy traded for him, they could simply place Valle in the Mexican League for a season. In the Mexican League Valle could face a lot of breaking balls and when he returns at the age of 24 they can see what has transpired then. And like others have tried to say above, there is still a lot of flotsam and jetsam remaining on the 40 man roster. And why didn’t they cut a couple of them before the Rule 5 draft, and make another speculative pick, even if it is another relief candidate like Munson to hedge the bet.
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It makes you wonder a bit,though. Phils supposedly backed out of the Lopez deal because they didn’t like what they saw on the physical. Then they sign Adams who was coming off an injury and obviously was never 100% healthy last year.
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Did anyone notice that Juan Sosa was picked up by the Marlins? He’s now on their AAA roster.
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I guess I am slightly surprised nobody picked him up. However, a team would have to put him on their 40-man right? In that case I suppose I am not that suprised. He is likely a push for the level of player other teams have at the end of their roster and they’d have just one year of ‘control’ to get the approach fixed and be able to catch in their system. Vets are much better for that purpose.
Marson pickup is good for a backup. Wonder if they’d actually give him a spot over Nieves with a great Spring. I guess Valle will be Joseph’s concussion caddy again.
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Nieves is yet another guy who doesn’t walk. He might make a good PH if he weren’t a catcher.
In other words “the same thing only different” Well thought out Ruben and ED.
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