Phillies: 5 players who moved to the dark side in Washington DC
Which Phillies abandoned us for the curly W’s in DC?
Long before Bryce Harper was rocking the Phillies red and white, the roles were quite reversed when it came to the shapeup of the NL East. The Phillies were the hotspot destination, coming off years of success and even a world championship, while it was usually teams like the Nationals who overpaid for Philly’s former players.
Obviously, the roles have changed quite a bit in recent times. Although the Phillies did steal Harper right out of DC’s grasp, it’s now been two consecutive offseasons where a former National has received monster money in free agency (Anthony Rendon, 2020).
While the Nationals are by no means the Phillies top rivals (that spot is reserved for the New York Mets of course), it’s still never fun seeing a former Phillie wearing a DC jersey down at Nationals Park. Whether through a free agency contract or even a trade, here are five former Phillies who went to the dark side down in Washington DC.
Honorable Mention: Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson
#5. Ben Revere
Acquired in late 2012 via a trade with the Minnesota Twins, Ben Revere was supposed to be the centerpiece for a new era of Phillies baseball. The glory days of the 2008 team were coming to an end, and the Phillies front office knew they had to start adding younger pieces to the roster. The hype surrounding Revere was so great prior to the 2013 season, that he even beat out Jimmy Rollins for the Opening Day leadoff spot.
Revere was a phenomenal contact hitter. Across three seasons with the Phillies, he recorded a .303 batting average. His above average speed also led to a combined total of 95 stolen bases, while also allowing him to cover a decent amount of grass out in center field.
Due to some nagging injuries, and the Phillies ultimately going into full-on “tank” mode, Revere was traded away during the 2015 season. He finished out the year with Toronto before ultimately being traded yet again, this time to the Washington Nationals.
Revere was a shell of himself in DC, batting just .217 while continuing to struggle through various injuries. The Nationals opted to not re-sign the outfielder following the conclusion of the 2016 season, and he entered free agency. Unfortunately for both Revere and the Nationals, he was just simply never able to replicate that form he had in Philadelphia.
#4. Howie Kendrick
Howie Kendrick won the NLCS MVP award in 2019. Unfortunately, this was obviously not while playing for the Philadelphia Phillies.
After an impressive nine year career with the Los Angeles Angels (which included an All-Star game selection in 2011) and a stop across town with the Dodgers, Kendrick was traded to the Phillies for Darin Ruf and Darnell Sweeney. A somewhat strange move at the time considering the Phillies were still rebuilding the shape of the roster, Kendrick did offer some short term help at a variety of different positions. Predominantly playing in the outfield, Kendrick also played some innings at both second and first base.
Kendrick played just 39 games for the Phillies in 2017 before the front office made a decision on his future in Philly. Seeing as he was batting an impressive .340 at the time, the Phillies felt they would be better off trading him while his value was at its highest. Shipping him off to DC in exchange for some cash and a prospect, it looked like a fairly standard “buy low sell high” maneuver.
Luckily for the Nationals (and not so luckily for the Phillies), Kendrick seemed to age like fine wine. Since being traded to Washington, Kendrick has batted an absurdly high average of .322. He’s also provided above average defense while acting as a very positive leader in a fairly young clubhouse.
While he’s been operating primarily as a bench bat/rotation type player, Kendrick’s value for the Nationals has not gone unnoticed. Obviously he was an important piece to the team’s championship run this past season, and despite being set to turn 37 next month, the Nationals opted to pay him over $6 million to keep him around for 2020.
The prospect the Phillies got in return for Kendrick never panned out and now the former Phillie has a shiny MVP trophy on his dresser. This one hurts, and the Phils only have themselves to blame.
#3. Matt Stairs
Yes, THAT Matt Stairs. The famous Matt Stairs who engrained his place in Phillies history forever with just a few swings of his bat. Despite cementing his legacy via his heroics in Philadelphia during the 2008 season, the iconic DH actually finished his career on a different NL East team.
After a 15 year career which included a plethora of different organizations, Stairs finally found himself in Philadelphia during the 2008 season. Acquired as a last second “win now” move of sorts, Stairs was the Phillies go-to option off of the bench. At 40 years old, Stairs only real ability at this point in time was swinging for the fences.
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Stairs made just four plate appearances during the 2008 postseason, but he made the most of them. Coming on as a pinch hitter against the Dodgers in the NLCS, Stairs ripped a two-run home run deep “into the night”. Stairs’ heroics during that game helped the Phillies secure an extremely tough win away from Citizens Bank Park.
Despite playing less than a season with the Phillies in 2008, t-shirts were printed in Stairs’ honor during the postseason run.
Stairs hung around for the 2009 season before ultimately taking his talents elsewhere. After a short stint with the Padres in 2010, Stairs found himself landing with the Washington Nationals of all teams for the 2011 season. At the age of 43, Stairs hit zero home runs across 74 plate appearances. Stairs was cut halfway through the season and retired just two days later.
#2. Jonathan Papelbon
Love him or hate him, Jonathan Papelbon remains the Phillies all-time franchise leader for saves. Despite being labeled as one of the “Top 5 worst free agent signings of the last decade” for the Phillies, Papelbon being traded to a division rival in 2015 was quite the storyline at the time.
Acquired through free agency via a $60 million mega contract in 2012, Papelbon was signed to be the Phillies new closer during the waning years of their championship roster. Replacing Brad Lidge was no easy task, and the Phillies simply weren’t the same team anymore, so public opinion of Papelbon and his huge salary quickly soured. Throw in his regular tantrums and dislike of the fans, and it was simply never a good partnership.
However, Papelbon in all reality had a few very good seasons with the Phillies. Across three and a half years he posted a 2.31 ERA while also recording 123 saves, a franchise record that won’t be beaten anytime soon.
After nearly coming to blows with Philadelphia on-air personality Howard Eskin during the 2015 season, it was clear the closer’s time with the Phillies needed to come to an end. With the trade deadline inching closer, Papelbon repeatedly made it known to the media that he was requesting a trade. On July 28, 2015 he was shipped away to the Nationals, with a certain young prospect by the name of Nick Pivetta coming back in return.
Papelbon’s final two seasons in DC were equally as theatrical as his time in Philadelphia. Just a few weeks after being traded to the team, Papelbon attacked Bryce Harper. Seeing as Harper was the Nationals’ franchise star at the time, fans were furious, even starting up a donation campaign of sorts calling for the closer’s release.
After posting a career worst 4.37 ERA during the 2016 season, Papelbon asked to be released from the Nationals, and the team obliged. While the bag isn’t totally out on Pivetta, this is looking like one of those very rare “lose-lose” trade scenarios.
#1. Jayson Werth
Easily the most memorable name on this list, Jayson Werth was 2011’s version of Bryce Harper. After winning a championship with the Phillies and establishing himself as one of the most beloved stars in the city, Werth opted to take his talents to a division rival during the 2011 offseason.
After signing a measly one-year/$850,000 contract with the Phillies back in 2006, Werth would go on to battle for and earn the everyday starting right field job. Across four seasons with the Phillies Werth posted an .885 OPS while simultaneously playing stellar defense in the outfield. In 2009, Werth was voted baseball’s “Unsung Star of the Year.” Phillies fans simply loved him.
Philadelphia Phillies
However, Werth became a free agent prior to the 2011 season and the Phillies only had so much money to go around. Werth opted to sign a seven-year/$126 million contract with Washington, one of the richest contracts in baseball history.
Despite having visions of being DC’s next superstar, Werth overall struggled with the Nationals. Werth hit just .232 his first season and would routinely battle injuries. While he had his moments as a Nat, he was clearly not the same player that he once was in Philly.
Ultimately, Werth proved his loyalty to Philadelphia just this past offseason, playing a small role in the Harper free agency saga. Reportedly telling Harper how great the Phillies organization was, it became clear where Werth’s heart remained.
Despite being a member of the Nationals’ “Ring of Honor”, Werth still should go down in baseball history as a Philadelphia Phillie legend.