Phillies: 5 trades that won the 2008 World Series
Ten years after the 2008 Phillies World Series title we look back at what got them there
Has it really been a decade since Brad Lidge threw the slider that left Eric Hinske spinning in the dirt and brought a World Series to the Phillies? For many it feels like yesterday, but the reality is that the entire cast from that team is gone; new roster, coaches, management, and even ownership to an extent.
Perhaps the most unsung hero of the 2008 Phillies championship was Hall of Fame general manager Pat Gillick, who took over for Ed Wade after the 2005 season. Both men made outstanding moves through the draft and trade market to get the city it’s first championship in nearly three decades. Wade drafted the core, and Gillick added the final touches that made this a championship club.
Looking back at one of the greatest teams in franchise history, we rank the five trades that got the Phillies a parade down Broad. Some of the moves were direct additions made at the deadline, while others were subtractions that led to the core’s arrival.
We start off with the two major trades that paved the way for Ryan Howard and Chase Utley’s arrivals in Philadelphia. Hall of Famer Jim Thome’s arrivial prior to the 2003 season is arguably one of the biggest free agent signings in Philadelphia history. Having already hit 334 home runs in 12 seasons with Cleveland, Thome not just brought power at the plate but to the city.
Thome oversaw the organization’s transition from Veteran Stadium to Citizens Bank Park and helped lead the next generation of players. However, his presence was a blockade to Ryan Howard’s full-time promotion.
After being limited to 59 games in 2005 Wade traded Thome to Chicago for three players and to clear the way for Howard, who would win Rookie of the Year and MVP the following two seasons.
Polanco was a much-less heralded player in the organization who came over in the Scott Rolen trade with St. Louis. After over 300 games with nearly as many hits, Polanco was moved at the trade deadline in 2005 to clear way for Utley at second base.
Wade didn’t receive much for Polanco despite his ability to get on base, securing a utility infielder who played in 33 games for Philadelphia and a 31-year-old relief pitcher on the verge of retirement.
Despite getting little directly for Polanco, indirectly the organization got Utley on an everyday basis. That alone was worth everything.
Where this trade sits in the rankings will draw great scruitany given what Matt Stairs did against the Dodgers. The folklore and nostalgia is great, but in reality he hit one big home run in the playoffs. His whole body of work isn’t comparable to others on the team.
Saying that, Stairs was a much-needed addition to the bench as a power bat with little defensive production. Stairs was a classic designated hitter for the Blue Jays, and there’s a reason he’s in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and the all-time pinch-hit home run leader.
Castro was acquired from Texas in exchange for Haigwood from the Thome deal. After pitching 26 games with the Phillies, the Dominican native never appeared in the majors again.
Stairs “ripping one into the night” was perhaps the second most-memorable highlight of the season, but his overall affect on the team has bery little reach. Terrific trade, just not a top-five move that won it all.
He’s not the most noteworthy name on the World Series roster, but Scott Eyre had one of the biggest impacts on the team winning the National League East for the second-consecutive season.
Acquired at the age of 36, Eyre was the typical journeyman reliever at the end of a 13-year career with five separate teams. When Tom Gordon and Rudy Seanez both went on the disablied list in July, the team needed a grizzled veteran with playoff experience to help balance out the middle of the bullpen. The bullpen was filled with veterans, but Eyre had appeared in the playoffs with the Giants and Cubs.
Eyre pitched spectacular for the Phillies after coming from the Cubs during the waiver trade deadline period. He ultimateley took Seanez’ spot on the playoff roster after posting a 1.88 ERA in 19 games in the Phillies bullpen. Eyre was nearly perfect in his four combined outings during the NLCS and World Series, allowing one base runner, an intentional walk, in four appearances.
The great Phillies teams were known for their pitching, but the 2008 team lacked the starpower brought in by Ruben Amaro Jr. after 2008. It was a staff that heavily relied on Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer while getting what it could from Brett Myers, Kyle Kendrick, and Adam Eaton.
Myers struggled extensively midway through the season and had issues with the coaching staff giving him the early pull. Myers was demoted to the minors in July to work on mechanical issues, and J.A. Happ got time in the starting rotation.
Remarkably, the 2008 team only used seven starters the entire year, a major key to how they won it all. The organization needed more than Hamels and Moyer turning out impressive starts and Kyle Kendrick giving back end of the rotation efforts.
Help was needed, and fast.
While not the flashiest name on the trade market, Joe Blanton entered the 2008 clubhouse as a solid middle of the rotation arm who could eat innings. Making 13 starts for Philadelphia in the regular season, Blanton turned out a 4-0 record with a 4.20 ERA, third best among the team’s starters with at least five starts. Oakland traded him away at the age of 27 coming off a season where he led all of baseball with 34 starts.
Blanton’s production in the postseason made his acquisition even more notable. The righty made three starts, all of which the team won, including a six inning performance in the World Series that included a legendary home run off Edwin Jackson in the fifth inning.
. . Brad Lidge from Houston. 1. team. 135.
This is undisputably not just one of the best trades of the 2008 campaign, but in franchise history.
Philadelphia needed a closer coming off the 2007 season when Brett Myers served as the man in the ninth inning, saving 21 games. His abillities were better suited in the starting rotation, leaving the team with few in-house options. Tom Gordon was coming off surgery and both Antonio Alfonseca and Jose Mesa essentially retired at the end of the season.
The price to get Lidge from Houston was fairly high, costing the team Michael Bourn before he even hit his prime, their highest draft pick in 2005 Mike Costanzo, and reliever Geoff Geary, who pitched in 57 games the year prior.
In return the Phillies received a closer who was perfect during the 2008 season, going 48-48 in save opportunities and finishing fourth in the Cy Young and eighth in MVP.
There’s no way to discount what Lidge meant to the team in 08, and his legacy in Philadelphia spectacular.
Next: Top ten teams in Phillies franchise history
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