When the Phillies sent Logan O’Hoppe to the Angels in 2022 for Brandon Marsh, it looked like one of those rare trades both teams could feel good about. Philadelphia had JT Realmuto behind the plate and needed ready-made help in the outfield.
Los Angeles got a catcher with big-time prospect buzz. At the time, it made sense on both sides.
A few years later, the picture is a lot clearer in Philadelphia’s favor.
Marsh, who was 24 when the deal went down, has gone from promising young outfielder to All-Star and looks like a fixture in the Phillies’ plans for the next decade or so. He hit .239 (126-for-528) with 10 home runs, 56 RBI and 14 stolen bases through 163 games with the Angels before the swap. Since then, he’s put together a .280 line with 16 homers and 47 RBI, even if he’s been in a slump lately along with much of the team.
O’Hoppe’s path has gone the other direction. He was recently traded to the Rangers, who then optioned him to Triple-A so he could keep working on his game. He was hitting .209 with just four home runs and 23 RBI when the Angels moved him.
That doesn’t mean the bat has disappeared. Rangers manager Skip Schumaker made clear that the organization still believes in him, and the move was about getting him the reps he needs.
“O’Hoppe. I think this guy's going to be really good” Schumaker told MLB.com.
“I think hopefully a change of scenery, with some of our guys, can get him to a place where we all think he can get to. It’s exciting.
He’s still young, a controllable catcher. With some injuries we've had on the catching front, I think it helps our depth.
I think the front office did a fantastic job of acquiring two really good players.”
The injuries he was referring to were Kyle Higashioka and Danny Jansen, both of whom are on the IL.
“I think he's excited to go down and work on some stuff,” Schumaker said via MLB. “We have a real plan to get him back to, again, where we think he can be.
The kid hits the ball as hard as anybody. He's physical.
He's really good at game planning. He's got a great arm.
There's a lot of things that we like about him. We're hoping just to get him back to what we think he can be, which is a really good Major League catcher on a winning team.”
The upside is still there for the 26-year-old, but right now that’s all it is: upside. He’s finished below .215 in each of the last two seasons, and while he has hit 19 home runs in 2024 and 20 in 2025, that power hasn’t been enough this season to cover for the low average. The next step is pretty obvious - more quality contact, a better strikeout rate, better framing and better work behind the plate.
Marsh, on the other hand, has already arrived. Even with some trouble against lefties, he’s become one of the top three hitters in the Phillies’ lineup and has earned his place in the clubhouse. Four years after the trade, that’s the difference that matters most.
In Other News...
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Phillies Roster Shuffle Just Put Several Depth Pieces In Trouble
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Phillies Just Sparked The Infield Shakeup Fans Saw Coming
The Phillies made a notable move to add more contact to their lineup, reaching a deal with the Giants that brings in right-handed reliever Caleb Kilian while sending Ramon Marquez and Marty Gair the other way. The headliner in the swap is a 29-year-old second baseman whose calling card has long been a high batting average and a low strikeout rate, exactly the kind of profile that can shift a lineups shape as much as it changes its look.
For Philadelphia, the bigger question now is less about the trade itself and more about where everyone fits once the new pieces are in place. The infield already had some moving parts, and this addition only sharpens the uncertainty around who settles at second, how the corners are arranged and whether the middle infield gets pushed into a new alignment. [Read more 🡒]