PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday sent relief pitcher Kevin Saucier to the Texas Rangers to complete the Sept. 13 deal that brought them reliever Sparky Lyle.
The Phillies also announced they had assigned pitcher Jim Wright to their Oklahoma City farm club in the American Association and added outfielder Alejandro Sanchez to their winter roster.
'We hated to lose Kevin but Texas said they needed a left-hander to replace Lyle,' Phillies' Vice President Paul Owens said. 'Sparky was a big help for us down the stretch and will be an integral part of our bullpen for a couple of years.'
In his first full year with the Phillies, Saucier, 24, compiled a 7-3 record with a 3.42 earned run average in 40 relief appearances. He was mostly called upon in the middle innings by manager Dallas Green.
Lyle appeared in 10 games of the Phillies' drive to the division title and subsequent world championship. While he didn't pick up a decision, he posted two saves with a 1.93 ERA and was scored on in only two games. He was ineligible for post-season play.
Wright, 25, who didn't pitch in 1979 because of a broken arm, was 9-9 last season at Oklahoma City with a 5.35 ERA in 23 starts. Sanchez, 21, batted .289 for Spartanburg of the Class A South Atlantic League, leading the club with 14 home runs, 73 runs batted in and 24 stolen bases.
