Phillies trade Jimmy Rollins to Dodgers

It was only a matter of time before the Phillies blew things up.

And the first bullet fired by the rebuilding Phillies could be the one that echoes the most among fans, as the greatest short stop in Phillies history, 2007 NL MVP and keystone of the 2008 World Series winning squad Jimmy Rollins accepted a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday.

The 36-year-old veteran, a participant in three All-Star games waived his no trade clause and will take his $11 million salary in 2015 back home to California.

In his career, Rollins has 453 career stolen bases, fourth most of any active player. He collected the most hits of any Phillie ever and told fans back on September 24, “I’ll be here next year.”

Well, he will, but in Dodger blue and only from August 4 through August 6.

The Phillies will likely use Freddy Galvis as a stopgap at short as top prospect J.P. Crawford works his way up through the minors.

At the time of publication, the Phillies were expected to receive two young pitching prospects as compensation for Rollins.

It is expected that many more moves will follow this week at the Winter Meetings.