Ben Revere to Blue Jays: Latest Trade Details, Comments and Reaction

Center fielder Ben Revere has reportedly been traded from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Toronto Blue Jays for a pair of minor league pitchers.

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com first reported the deal, while Jon Heyman of CBS Sports confirmed the report. The Phillies announced the deal later Friday, noting they would be receiving right-handers Jimmy Cordero and Alberto Tirado.

As one of his team's best players this season, Revere has been dealt from a Phillies team that is experiencing a miserable season with a 39-64 record, as Philadelphia sits at the bottom of the National League East. 

Toronto picks up the true definition of a leadoff hitter, as Revere's high on-base percentage paired with his blazing speed can only help improve its offensive production.

He doesn't possess a ton of power, but Revere can hit it where they aren't, as he led the National League in hits with 184 in 2014, batting a career-high .306.

He isn't done bothering the pitcher and his defense when he gets on base, either. Revere has blazing speed that saw him steal 49 bases last season. 

That speed also comes in handy while he's patrolling center field, with a glove that is more than capable of bailing his pitcher out. Since joining the Phillies, though, Revere has seen his fielding diminish, with an Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) of 2.1 this season after putting up negative marks in two years before, per FanGraphs.com.

In his last season with the Twins in 2012, Revere was a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder with a 14.9 UZR. He still ranked third among center fielders in 2014 with a .988 fielding percentage and is perfect in 2015 with a 1.000 mark.

Philadelphia would not be able to turn things around with Revere, as the 27-year-old was one of the only attractive trade targets for other teams.

The Phillies are looking at a complete rebuild in the near future with aging stars like Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, who are 36 and 35, respectively, with very little offensive support coming from the rest of the lineup. With young, promising players like third baseman Maikel Franco preparing to take over the mantle, the time is right for Philly to rebuild, and selling off Revere is a strong start. 

Revere gives the power-heavy Blue Jays the kind of speedy leadoff bat they've been needing. The idea of Revere getting on base before the likes of Troy Tulowitzki, Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion should strike real fear into the hearts of opposing pitching staffs and gives the Jays a more complete lineup as they make their postseason push.   

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com