Phillies: Most impactful deadline deals of the decade

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 6: (L-R) Cole Hamels # 35, Cliff Lee #33, Roy Oswalt #44 and Roy Halladay #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies watch from the dugout during the Phillies game against the New York Mets in the third inning on April 6, 2011 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 10-7. (Photo by Miles Kennedy/Philadelphia Phillies/Getty Images) /

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 22: Starting pitcher Roy Oswalt #44 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch during the game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on September 22, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

With the Phillies looking to return to the World Series for the third straight year in 2010, adding a third starter to slot behind Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels was of paramount importance. The rotation took a major drop after those two with Kyle Kendrick, Joe Blanton, and Jaime Moyer rounding out the rotation.

Enter Oswalt, who was in the midst of a major bounceback year following an average 2009 season. In 20 starts for the Astros, Oswalt had a 3.42 ERA, 1.109 WHIP, and 3.53 strikeout-to-walk rato. His talents were largely wasted as he had a measly 6-12 record, but that quickly changed upon coming to Philadelphia.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 6: (L-R) Cole Hamels # 35, Cliff Lee #33, Roy Oswalt #44 and Roy Halladay #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies watch from the dugout during the Phillies game against the New York Mets in the third inning on April 6, 2011 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 10-7. (Photo by Miles Kennedy/Philadelphia Phillies/Getty Images) /

In 13 games as a Phillie, Oswalt had a 1.74 ERA, 0.895 WHIP, and 3.48 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He had a 7-1 record as the team went 10-3 in games he appeared in. During the postseason he continued to pitch well with a 2.75 ERA in four games, including an eight-inning, one-run performance in Game Two of the NLDS.

As a member of the “Phour Aces” rotation in 2011, Oswalt still posted good numbers with a 3.69 ERA and 3.44 fielding-independent pitching in 23 games. Unfortunately, his last game as a Phillie was an unfortunate one as he allowed all five runs in a 5-3 loss to the Cardinals that forced a Game Five in the 2011 NLDS. We all know how that ended.

Looking back on the trade, Philadelphia got what they wanted out of Oswalt: another strong starter to add to their prolific rotation. Unfortunately, the addition just wasn’t enough to get the team back to the World Series.