Phillies Acquire John Bowker

Philadelphia's rumored interest in adding a left-handed hitter has taken them to many places, with speculated targets ranging from Jason Giambi to Jim Thome. The move they made today pales in comparison to a possible Thome/Giambi addition, but they appear to have accomplished their goal in acquiring left-handed first baseman John Bowker from the Pirates today.

The deal, first reported by Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia, gives the Phillies some additional depth at first base and in the outfield, where they've sorely lacked a lefty hitter that can provide some pop. And while Bowker's career MLB line is pretty bad at just .237/.289/.390, he's thrived in the upper minors throughout his career.

In 2009, Bowker posted a ridiculous .342/.451/.596 line for Triple-A Fresno in the Giants organization, and this season he's hit .307/.350/.488 for Triple-A Indianapolis. Overall, Bowker has a .314/.388/.533 line in 311 games across the Triple-A level.