Phillies: Most impactful trade made with every team

Los Angeles Angels: Jose Alvarez

"On December 6, 2018, the Philadelphia Phillies traded Luis Garcia to the Los Angeles Angels for Jose Alvarez."

While it’s not the most exciting trade in team history, the Jose Alvarez deal stands out among the 20 deals made between the two teams.

After the 2018 season the Phillies needed to sure-up their bullpen by adding a quality reliever who could also provide some stability in a very unstable group of arms.

When the deal did come down, it was a bit confusing as to why the Angels would pull the trigger. Both Luis Garcia and Alvarez have two more years of arbitration eligibility remaining, but Alvarez was two years young and in 2018 he had the best season of his young career.

In 76 relief appearances with the Angels in 2018 Alvarez went 6-4 with a 2.71 ERA and a 1.159 WHIP. Garcia spent parts of six seasons with the Phillies and was a constant headache for fans with a career ERA of 4.12 at the time of the deal.

Alvarez initially struggled in his first four appearances, allowing six earned runs with a 20.25 ERA. In his final 63 appearances he had a 2.56 ERA with 48 strikeouts, quietly solidifying himself as one of the Phillies best relievers.

From July 4 to August 10 (14 appearances) Alvarez didn’t allow a single earned run and won three games. He also had four stretches of six straight games without an earned run allowed.

Garcia would have a 4.35 ERA and allow eight more earned runs than Alvarez with nearly twice as many walks.

It’s not the flashiest deal, but it’s a deal the Phillies certainly won.