Phillies Grade the Trade: Ruben Amaro’s Top Five Trades
5. Papel-gone
The Jonathan Papelbon trade is arguably the most under-rated move of the Ruben Amaro Jr. regime. RAJ was somehow able to move Papelbon despite his questionable character and declining talents.
Minor league pitcher Nick Pivetta came over to Philadelphia in the deal, and has become one of the Phillies best pitching prospects. Pivetta was promoted to Triple-A after winning 11 games with Reading and flashing a 3.41 ERA. His ERA in Lehigh Valley was even better in his five appearances, dipping to 2.55 and striking out 27 batters.
Between moving Papelbon and getting a quality pitcher in return, you have to mention this deal when looking for a move by RAJ that actually worked out for the Phillies.
4. Bye bye Byrd-y
Similar to the Papelbon trade, the Phillies were able to move a veteran player on the decline with no future in the city.
Re-signing Marlon Byrd in the first place may be among Amaro’s worst moves, but the trade made up for his ineptitude. Ben Lively was nearly perfect in Reading this year, finishing with a 1.87 ERA in nine starts. He earned a promotion to Lehigh Valley, where he was just as impressive.
In 19 starts for the Iron Pigs, Lively had a 3.06 ERA, and was named one of the Phillies top prospects in 2016. He will compete for a job in the Phillies starting rotation in 2017, but will most likely start in Triple-A and arrive in September.
3. Cliff Lee Part 1
The first time the Phillies made the move to acquire Cliff Lee, the Phillies were thinking back-to-back World Series. Lee finished the season third in the Cy Young voting and nearly beat the Yankees by himself in 2009.
What makes the move even better is the majority of the prospects did not pan out for Cleveland. Carlos Carrasco has finally turned a corner, but is currently injured and not active for the World Series. If he was healthy all season, he could be a Cy Young candidate and the World Series might be over already.
Jason Knapp the Phillies 10th ranked prospect, has not played since 2014, and never reached past Advanced-A in the Rangers organization. Jason Donald was the next big infielder expected to come through the Phillies system, but Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley blocked the fourth ranked prospect from moving up. Donald played three seasons in Cleveland, but has not played for a major league organization since 2014.
Lou Marson appeared in eight games for the Phillies behind the plate, and hit a home run in his only game in 2008. With Carlos Ruiz winning the starting job for the long-term future, Marson went to Cleveland and appeared in 253 games over parts of five seasons. He hit .217 with 46 extra-base hits with the Indians, and last played for the Reds Double-A team in 2015.
Considering Lee helped lead the Phillies to a World Series appearance, you can deem the move a success. Young players were moved for talent at the right time, unlike the Oswalt, Pence, or Michael Young deals.
2. I Need a Doctor
If the Phillies kept Cliff Lee after this trade and won another World Series or two with Halladay, Lee and Hamels, this deal would be number one. The Phillies got their crafty veteran ace after requiring the services of Pedro Martinez late in 2009.
Kyle Drabek was the Phillies top pitching prospect, and many fans did not want to see him go. The son of a former major league pitcher, Drabek was considered the future homegrown ace. Drabek’s career never got on track, and has dealt with injuries since being promoted. He has pitched in 12.2 innings since 2013, and made one relief appearance with the Diamondbacks in 2016.
Travis D’Arnaud should be a familiar name to Phillies fans. Toronto traded the catcher to the Mets in the R.A. Dickey deal that also included Noah Synndergard. D’Arnaud is the Mets starting catcher, but is on the low-end compared to most starters right now. He has a .245 batting average in 281 games and finished seventh in the Rookie of the Year.
Michael Taylor is the final player moved for Halladay. Toronto promptly flipped him to Oakland for Brett Wallace. Taylor played 26 games across three seasons for the A’s before being traded to the White Sox. Chicago would later cut Taylor, only to re-sign him that same winter. Taylor has not appeared in a Major League game since 2014, and retired in 2015.
1. Start of Something Special
One of Ruben Amaro Jr’s last trades was ultimately his best, and it involved sending Cole Hamels to Texas. It’s also the only one where he traded a young talent in exchange for a package of prospects.
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The Phillies got multiple prospects who have reshaped the outlook of the franchise and could be major stepping-stones towards another prolonged World Series run.
Hamels was on his way to a Cy Young, but will most likely lose out once again when the votes are counted.
So far every prospect except Nick Williams has played at least one game in the Major Leagues, but most will start the 2017 season in Triple-A.
Matt Harrison was brought on solely to relieve some of Hamels cap hit and reduce the amount of money the Phillies are sending directly to Texas. He has been battling a back injury, and has not played a game since the trade.