Just like Jacob Marley at the beginning of a Christmas Carol, the 2010s are dead. Gone is a decade of Phillies baseball filled with major mediocrity with a few bright spots in the beginning.
What isn't gone are the effects of trades from the past decade. Knowing what we do now, let's look back at some of the biggest trades of the past decade.
2010
Just to clarify, the Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee trades occurred in December of 2009. Therefore, they're not part of the 2010s. That leaves us with only one significant trade.
Phillies trade Anthony Gose, J.A. Happ, and Jonathan Villar to the Houston Astros for Roy Oswalt
At the time the Phillies gave up a ton for the Astros' aging ace, Roy Oswalt. Anthony Gose was considered a top-5 prospect at the time. J.A. Happ had a Hell of a 2009 season in which he was the runner-up for Rookie of the Year. He posted a 2.93 ERA in 166 IP with 3 complete games and 2 shutouts. Jonathon Villar would be considered the "throw-in", being an A-ball 19-year-old.
The Phillies technically "won" this trade as Oswalt went 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA in his first year with the Phillies. He had a 3.69 ERA in 2011 while facing injury issues.
Gose had 76 stolen bases in 2009 in A ball. He would bat .240 in his short MLB career. He was even being converted to a pitcher at one point. Happ had 3 bad seasons with the Astros posting a 4.84 ERA. He would become solid again in 2015. Oddly enough, Villar has been the most consistent of the 3 with a .759 OPS and 160 steals in the past 4 seasons.
2011
Phillies send Jarred Cosart, Jon Singleton, Josh Zeid, and a PTBNL (Domingo Santana) to the Houston Astros for Hunter Pence and cash.
At the time, everyone and their mother knew the Phillies needed a right-handed bat more than anything. Hunter Pence fit that bill as his career .817 OPS would prove.
Between Jarred Cosart, Jon Singleton, and Josh Zeid, those players had a combined 2.8 bWAR for their careers. Hunter Pence had a 3.3 bWAR in parts of 2 seasons for the Phillies.
The PTBNL, Domingo Santana, probably shouldn't have been in the deal. In his age 23-26 seasons (2016-19), Santana has had an OPS of .808. He'd be a welcome 4th outfielder even on the 2020 Phillies.
Phillies still win this deal in hindsight as in about a full season's worth of games (155) Pence slashed .289/.357/.486 with 28 homers and 94 RBI.
2012
Phillies trade Hunter Pence to the San Francisco Giants for Tommy Joseph, Seth Rosin, and Nate Schierholtz.
Hunter Pence, we hardly knew ya.
This trade would mark the beginning of the Phillies' "retooling" phase. After being 12 games under .500, who could blame the Phillies for trying to look towards the future.
In return for their previously acquired All-Star, the Phillies received Tommy Joseph, Seth Rosin, and Nate Schierholtz. Schierholtz was a 28-year-old average right fielder whose contract was up at the end of the year and Seth Rosin was an A-ball pitcher with a 4 ERA.
Tommy Joseph was the diamond in the bunch. A top-10 prospect in the Giants system, Joseph looked primed to one day be the Phillies' catcher of the future. In 2011, he hit 22 homers with a .270 batting average. He was a bit of a free swinger but with a ton of upside.
Tommy Joseph would never hit over 22 home runs in a season. He faced concussion issues that led to him being moved to first base. He held his own in his rookie season, slashing.257/.308.505 with 21 HR in just 107 games.
He'd falter in his second season, only hitting.240 with 22 HR in 142 games. He hasn't been seen in the majors since. Rosin would pitch 1 game for the Phillies and would only be valuable for rosin-based puns.
This would be the first trade the Phillies lose as Pence faired much better in San Francisco. He'd go onto win 2 Wolrd Series, be an All-Star in 2014, and receive MVP votes in '13 and '14 all while being the team's motivational leader.
Phillies trade Shane Victorino to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Josh Lindblom, Ethan Martin, and Stefan Jarrin
*SPOILER ALERT* nobody won this trade.
Phillies saw the Dodgers' #4 prospect and went "we want that guy". The Phillies got that guy and with it a 5.93 MLB ERA. By 2015, Ethan Martin would find himself in AA again and by 2016 he was out of baseball.
Josh Lindbloom became a reason to look at FIP when evaluating players. He started 2012 with a 3.02 ERA with the Dodgers but with a 5.07 FIP. He would have a 4.63 ERA with the Phillies. He did just sign a major league deal with the Brewers after spending 2 years overseas.
Stefan Jarrin, the PTBNL, never even played with the Phillies in any capacity.
Shane Victorino could only muster a .667 OPS with the Dodgers. In 2013, he'd become a World Champion with the Boston Red Sox.
2013
Nothing of note trade-wise happened in 2013. The Phillies traded away Michael Young, John McDonald, and Erik Kratz for spare parts and that's it.
2014
Phillies trade Roberto Hernandez to the Dodgers for TWO PTBNL
Somehow, the Phillies won a fairly low-key trade. Roberto Hernandez was having his best season since he was named Fausto Carmona. He came to the Phillies with a career 4.67 ERA, but in 2014 he started off with a 3.87 ERA.
For some reason, the Dodgers would end up sending Jesmuel Valentin and Victor Arano, both of whom made it to the majors. Victor Arano even figures to be a significant part of the Phillies' 2020 bullpen.
Big W.
Phillies trade Jimmy Rollins to the Dodgers for Zach Eflin and Tom Wendle
The start of the 2008 selloff began with Jimmy Rollins. This trade hurt a lot of young fans who loved J-Roll as a player but it was a necessary evil.
The Phillies won this trade. Zach Eflin, who had a rough middle of 2019, is poised to be the Phillies number 3 in 2020. His ERA has gone down every year and he has flashed the ability to throw Greg Maddux-esque complete games.
Meanwhile, Rollins would barely hit .220 with the Dodgers. The Phillies got away with one here.
Don't ask about Tom Wendle.
Continued on the page below.
2015
Phillies trade Jake Diekman, Cole Hamels and cash to the Texas Rangers for Jorge Alfaro, Alec Asher, Jerad Eickhoff, Matt Harrison, Jake Thompson, and Nick Williams.
In an act of pure love for Philadelphia, Cole Hamels decided to throw a no-hitter against the Cubs in his last start to maximize his trade value.
Yet somehow, the Phillies came away with almost nothing from this deal in 2020. Nick Williams is still around somewhere, but no one can seemly decide if he has value or not.
Jorge Alfaro became important only as a trade piece in the future. The "human metronome" Jerad Eickhoff had his internal metronome break. Jake Thompson and Alec Asher were plain bad and Matt Harrison was already broken goods.
If it makes you feel better, the Rangers wasted Hamels as they lost in the ALDS in both 2015 and 2016.
There is no excuse for the Phillies' front office on this one. No one may have "won" the trade but the Phillies should have taken a grand prize at the county fair, not just a blue ribbon.
Phillies trade Chase Utley to the Dodgers for Darnell Sweeny and John Richy
Hey, look! It's the trade that absolutely ripped my soul out! COOL!
The Dodgers, remembering how much they gave up for Jimmy Rollins, gave up relatively nothing for a silent team leading that would become the Silver Fox. Darnell Sweeny would have a cup of coffee with the Phillies and John Richy would never hit the big time.
Utley would go on to endear himself with his hometown Southern California. He would also adopt a 3rd son, Kike Hernandez.
You can't convince me that any other Phillie will ever be more loved in Philadelphia than Chase Utley. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was bitterly destroyed emotionally by this trade.
It doesn't help that we lost it either.
Phillies traded Jonathan Arauz and Ken Giles to the Houston Astros for Mark Appel, Harold Arauz, Tom Eshelman, Brett Oberholtzer, and Vince Velasquez
So. We've come to this. Somehow, this trade still has a chance to be a win for the Phillies. It all comes down to Vince Velasquez, who remains the only surviving player on the Phillies roster.
As of now, Velasquez still only has his 16 K shut out of the San Diego Padres to hang his hat on. Hopefully, Bryan Price has some tricks up his sleeve.
Ken Giles would have a mixed bag of time in Houston. He'd have a 3.57 ERA and curse out his manager. He'd also falter heavily in the postseason with an 11.74 ERA in 7 games.
The Phillies had the right idea to trade Giles but now, in hindsight, it might have been better to keep him. He'd still be under team control until 2021. In the last 2 seasons, he's had a 2.48 ERA with the Blue Jays.
Oh, and did I mention the Phillies received the biggest bust of a number 1 overall pick in return in Mark Appel? He's out of baseball now.
2016
Phillies traded Carlos Ruiz and cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tommy Bergjans, Joey Curletta, and A.J. Ellis
Carlos Ruiz managed to stay with the Phillies longer than any other 2008 World Series player. Even Chooch had to go sometime, though. Of course, he too went to the Dodgers.
Phillies essentially swapped catchers as they received A.J. Ellis in return. Ellis, to his credit, batted .313 with an .871 OPS in limited time with the Phillies.
This trade would bear zero fruits for the Phillies' future, however as Bergjans and Curletta would do absolutely nothing.
2017
While no major trades occurred in 2017, there are a few of note that could have some bearing on the future.
The Phillies sent Pat Neshek to the Rockies for 3 minor leaguers, one of which was J.D. Hammer. Hammer could have a significant impact on the Phillies' bullpen if he can improve on his rookie campaign. He had a 3.79 ERA in 20 games in 2019.
The Phillies also swapped Jeremy Hellickson to the Orioles for Hyun Soo Kim and Garrett Cleavinger. Cleavinger finds himself on the Phillies 40 roster at the moment. He had an interesting year at AA Reading with a 3.66 ERA and a K/9 of 14.6. That's 83 K in 51.2 IP.
2018
Phillies traded J.P. Crawford and Carlos Santana to the Seattle Mariners for Juan Nicasio, James Pazos, and Jean Segura
This trade now has some mixed reviews after just over a year. Carlos Santana was traded in order to move Rhys Hoskins to first base from left field. Santana decided to mess around and have his first All-Star season all while slashing .281/.397/.515 with 34 HR.
The jury has still not been settled on J.P. Crawford. He could still come back to bite the Phillies in the gluteus maximus. Wouldn't that be just dandy!
Juan Nicasio had a 4.75 ERA in 2019. James Pazos didn't make the team. Jean Segura went from hitting .308 from 2016-2018 to hitting .280 in 2019.
Jean Segura could still rebound and Rhys Hoskins could make the move worth it as well. It up to new hitting coach Joe Dillon for that one.
Phillies trade Luis Garcia to the Angels for Jose Alvarez
This has become a huge win for the Phillies. Luis Garcia was one of the most inconsistent relievers in the Phillies' bullpen. He had a 6.07 ERA in 2018 and a 4.35 ERA in 2019 with the Angels.
Meanwhile, Jose Alvarez was one of the Phillies' most consistent bullpen pieces. In 2019, Alvarez posted a 3.36 ERA.
I see this as an absolute win!
2019
Phillies traded Sixto Sanchez, Will Stewart, Jorge Alfaro, and international bonus slot money to the Miami Marlins for J.T. Realmuto
Do you want the fan take or the realist take?
Fan Take
J.T. Realmuto is the BCIB (Best Catcher in Baseball. This was confirmed by the first-ever All-MLB Team vote. He set a new career-high in slugging %, doubles, homers, and RBI.
J.T. is the best player on the Phillies and will continue to be so in the new decade. Sixto Sanchez was facing injury when he was traded and Jorge Alfaro will probably never cut down on his strikeouts.
Realist Take
The Phillies have yet to resign J.T. Realmuto. If the Phillies underperform significantly before the trade deadline, the Phillies should consider trading J.T. Realmuto.
They can't play around anymore. The Phillies can't afford another 7-year rebuild. This trade could backfire or could still be a success. It all depends on how long J.T. Realmuto actually plays for the Phillies and how Sixto Sanchez pans out. Sixto had a 2.53 ERA in his first 18 AA starts with the Marlins.
Alfaro wasn't bad. Realmuto is clearly just leaps and bounds better. No one has won this one yet.
