Phillies: Most impactful trade made with every team

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PHILADELPHIA – OCTOBER 29: Brad Lidge #54 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates the final out of their 4-3 win to win the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays during the continuation of game five of the 2008 MLB World Series on October 29, 2008 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Houston Astros: Brad Lidge

"On November 7, 2007, the Houston Astros traded Eric Bruntlett and Brad Lidge to the Philadelphia Phillies for Michael Bourn, Mike Costanzo and Geoff Geary."

The Phillies and Astros have made 22 trades over the years and you could name five or six of them as the most impactful one made.

Houston has always been sort of a farm system for the Phillies to pick out of when they needed one last piece to make a run. They added Curt Schilling, Billy Wagner, Hunter Pence, and Roy Oswalt in deals to do just that.

The Phillies also swapped roles and sent Ken Giles to Houston in a package of prospects that included Vince Velasquez and former number one pick Mark Appel.

While each of those trades made a major impact, no deal did more for the Phillies run for a championship than the deal that brought Brad Lidge to Philadelphia.

In 2007 the Phillies won the division despite not having the most sound closer situation. Former starter Brett Myers got the job done with 21 saves. Antonio Alfonseca, Tom “Flash” Gordon, and Jose Mesa were in their late 30s, early 40s with very his ERAs.

Shortly after the season ended the Phillies immediately went out and traded for Lidge, who had a rollercoaster career in Houston. At one point Lidge saved 42 games and had seasons that garnered support for the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year. Other years he had an ERA over five.

The deal cost Philadelphia Michael Bourn, a speedy center fielder who would win multiple Gold Gloves, infield prospect Mike Costanzo (who would play17 big league games with a .056 BA), and veteran reliever Geoff Geary, who would be out of the league by 2010.

Philadelphia also received utility man Eric Bruntlett, who could play nearly every position and later turned a game-ending unassisted triple-play.

Lidge would turn out to be pretty good himself, completing all 41 of his regular season save opportunities and seven additional saves in the postseason, including the final strikeout of the World Series.

Despite injuries Lidge managed 31 saves the following year and 27 more in 2010, finishing with 100 regular season saves in red pinstripes, now the fifth-most in team history.

Lidge will one day be on the Wall of Fame for his heroics in 2008 and the memory of his final out is ingrained in the memories of Phillies fans everywhere.

"Honorable Mention: April 2, 1992. The Philadelphia Phillies traded Jason Grimsley to the Houston Astros for Curt Schilling. November 3, 2003. The Houston Astros traded Billy Wagner to the Philadelphia Phillies for Ezequiel Astacio, Taylor Buchholz and Brandon Duckworth. July 29, 2011. The Houston Astros traded Hunter Pence and cash to the Philadelphia Phillies for Domingo Santana, Jarred Cosart, Jon Singleton and Josh Zeid. July 29, 2010. The Houston Astros traded Roy Oswalt to the Philadelphia Phillies for Anthony Gose, J.A. Happ and Jonathan Villar. December 12, 2015. The Philadelphia Phillies traded Jonathan Arauz and Ken Giles to the Houston Astros for Mark Appel, Harold Arauz, Tom Eshelman, Brett Oberholtzer and Vince Velasquez."