Phillies Trade Kratz To Blue Jays For RHP Lincoln

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies traded catcher Erik Kratz and left-hander Rob Rasmussen to the Toronto Blue Jays for righty Brad Lincoln on Tuesday night.

Lincoln will compete for a spot in Philadelphia's bullpen. He was 1-2 with a 3.98 ERA in 22 games for Toronto in 2013. He had 25 strikeouts in 31 2-3 innings and pitched more than one inning in 13 of his 22 relief appearances. The 28-year-old Lincoln is 9-11 with one save and a 4.66 ERA in 97 career games with Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto.

Kratz hit .213 with nine home runs and 26 RBIs in 68 games with Philadelphia last season. He began the year as the starting catcher because Carlos Ruiz was serving a 25-game suspension for using a banned amphetamine. Kratz hit .230 with 18 homers and 52 RBIs in 120 games over three seasons with the Phillies.

The 33-year-old Kratz spent 10 years in the minors before making his major league debut with the Pirates in 2010. He'll back up newly signed Dioner Navarro in Toronto.

The Phillies signed Ruiz to a three-year deal last month and will likely add a veteran backup soon.

Rasmussen, acquired in the trade that sent Michael Young to the Los Angeles Dodgers, was 3-11 with a 4.11 ERA in the minors.