Phillies Grade the Trade: Jimmy Rollins to Los Angeles
On December 19, 2014, the Philadelphia Phillies all-time hits leader was traded the Los Angeles Dodgers in his home state of California after 15 spectacular seasons in red and white.
It was a move that needed to be done. Freddy Galvis and J.P. Crawford were waiting in the wings and the fans were sadly ready to move on.
In his 15 years with the Phillies, Jimmy Rollins put himself in Hall of Fame contention with a Word Series, an MVP, 2,306 hits, and 887 RBIs.
Here is what the Phillies got back from the Los Angeles Dodgers for one of the greatest players in franchise history.
In 144 games with the White Sox Rollins hit .224, his worst batting average in his 16 year career and committed nine errors.
He tacked on another 116 hits to his resume and stole another dozen bases. He eventually lost the job to Corey Seager and watched from the bench at the end of the year, providing veteran guidance and talking about the glory days with Chase Utley after the second baseman was sent to LA in August.
This offseason he signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox and won the starting job in Spring Training. In 34 games for Chicago, Rollins is hitting .231 with 31 hits in 34 games. His career is clearly coming to a sad close.
As for the return the Phillies received, there was not a ton of expectations. Zach Eflin and Tom Windle were projected bottom of the rotation/bullpen pitchers if they ever made it to the major leagues.
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Zach Eflin is currently the Phillies #13 prospect and is pitching in Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He is 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA and a 6/1 strikeout to walk ratio. If he continues to pitch well, he could be called up in September or if any moves are made on the major league roster.
Tom Windle is working out of the Double-A Reading bullpen after getting the chance to start last season. The lefty was the Dodgers second round pick in 2013 and has had some rough patches in the Phillies organization.
In his two years in Reading, Tom Windle has a 5-6 record with a 4.55 ERA. What is most concerning is the walks and home runs. In 2016 he has walked eight batters and allowed four home runs in 16 games.
Overall, this trade gets a “B+” grade. While you couldn’t have expected much for an aging shortstop on the final year of a big contract, the return has been lukewarm. Looking at what Rollins did in Los Angeles though is a plus. The Phillies moved him a year too late but they did the right thing to start the Philadelphia Phillies rebuilding process.