Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds trade veteran infielder Brandon Phillips to Atlanta Braves

Published Feb. 12, 2017 2:16 p.m. ET

Kerouac Smith

The Cincinnati Reds have agreed to send veteran second baseman Brandon Phillips to the Atlanta Braves, the team announced Sunday.

The deal, first reported by FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, sends Phillips back to his hometown team.

https://twitter.com/Braves/status/830854161805803524

Phillips is owed $14 million in 2017, though the Reds are expected to pick up the bulk of that obligation. The move is said to be an effort for the Reds to thin out a surplus of infielders.

https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/830640179924844544

https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/830640184148492289

https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/830643590695100418

https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/830643642645803008

As noted by Rosenthal, the return for Phillips is minimal. The Braves will send two pitchers, left-hander Andrew McKirahan and right-hander Carlos Portuondo, to Cincinnati in the deal.

The Braves, who tried to acquire Phillips earlier in the offseason, renewed their push after learning infielder Sean Rodriguez would miss 3-to-5 months after he and his family were involved in a scary car accident in late January.

https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/830639551681064960