Nats deal Koyie Hill to Phillies

By Pete Kerzel

Nationals

March 17, 2014, 12:25pm

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LAKELAND, Fla. - This morning, the Nationals reassigned catcher Koyie Hill to minor league camp. This afternoon, they sent Hill out of the organization, trading him to the Phillies in exchange for cash or a player to be named. MLB.com was first to report the deal. The 35-year-old Hill, signed Feb. 5 to a minor league deal with an invitation to major league camp, batted .385 (5-for-13) with three RBIs in 10 Grapefruit League games. But when the Nats traded for Tampa Bay catcher Jose Lobaton eight days later, the move relegated Hill to nothing more than organizational depth. The Nationals are set behind the plate with starter Wilson Ramos and Lobaton as his backup. They still have several other catchers in camp - Sandy Leon and Jhonatan Solano are on the 40-man roster and Chris Snyder is on a minor league deal. In Philadelphia, Hill will compete with ex-National Wil Nieves and rookie Cameron Rupp to back up starter Carlos Ruiz. If he sticks in Philly, Hill will probably wind up at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. It's unusual for the Nats to trade within the National League East, but they clearly felt that Hill wasn't going to earn a job in their system and got what they could for him.