5 Philadelphia Phillies prospects we wish were never traded

Five former Phillies prospects who probably shouldn’t have been traded

The Philadelphia Phillies and their revamped front office have an important offseason ahead, as they look to retool the roster amid a 10-year-long postseason drought.

At least a few moves may involve a trade and one of their top-ranked prospects. President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski, after all, is known for making such moves and turning non-contenders into championship hopefuls.

Trading prospects is always a wild card. Many end up not translating their Double- or Triple-A success into the big-leagues. However, you never know which prospect might turn into something special. Here are five who the Phillies have traded in recent years, of whom the organization probably wishes they still had.

1. Curtis Mead, Infielder

Nearly two years ago, the Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays partnered in a November trade. Then-general manager Matt Klentak acquired left-handed pitcher Cristopher Sanchez for minor-league infielder Curtis Mead.

A native of Australia, Mead has had nothing but success since the trade, including posting a strong showing in the ongoing Arizona Fall League — slashing .324/.368/.577 with 10 extra-base hits and 11 RBI in 17 games. He also has an impressive 19-game hitting streak in the Fall League.

This past season, Mead rose all the way from the Single-A to Triple-A level in the Rays’ system. He proceeded to hit .429 over 14 plate appearances at the latter.

Mead can play both first and third base — two positions the Phillies would not mind to upgrade defensively. The 21-year-old committed only six errors across 633 2/3 innings and 170 chances at the hot corner in 2021. At first base, he committed only one error in 131 innings and 119 chances.

3. Connor Seabold, Pitcher

It is painful to continue bringing up this August 2020 trade, but the August 2020 swap that sent Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold to the Boston Red Sox — and relievers Heath Hembree and Brandon Workman to Philadelphia — has and will haunt the Phillies for years to come.

Not to mention Pivetta making a name for himself this past postseason and becoming the pitcher Phillies fans always hoped would shine on the Citizens Bank Park mound, but there is something to be said about losing Seabold as well.

Ranked as Boston’s 13th-best prospect, the California native posted a 3.47 ERA — and struck out 64 batters in 59 2/3 innings — across 13 minor-league starts for the American League East organization this past season. Coincidentally, he started and earned the winning decision for the WooSox opposite the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in the Triple-A teams’ season finale.

As MLB.com notes, Seabold’s best pitch is his above-average, low-80s changeup that fades late and tumbles, effective opposite against both left-handed and right-handed batters. While his fastball velocity peaks in the low-to-mid 90s, Seabold’s pitching repertoire also includes a low-80s slider, as well as a soft curveball.

Hembree and Workman combined to surrender 23 earned runs in 22 1/3 innings in Phillies uniforms in 2020. At the time of the deal that brought both relievers to Philadelphia, then-Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke called Pivetta and Seabold as “hope for the future.”

So far, Roenicke’s wishes are becoming truer by the day. Amid uncertainty surrounding the back end of the 2022 Phillies rotation, having Seabold as an option would have been nice to have entering spring training.

4. Jonathan Villar, Infielder

More than a decade ago, the Phillies traded left-hander J.A. Happ and two prospects to the Houston Astros in exchange for Roy Oswalt. One of the two prospects was an outfielder who has since turned into a reliever. The other was infielder Jonathan Villar.

Villar had not turned even 20 years old at the time of the deal and has since become a nine-year big-league veteran. He’s played for six teams, including the Houston Astros (2013-15), Milwaukee Brewers (2016-18), Baltimore Orioles (2018-19), Miami Marlins (2020), Toronto Blue Jays (2020), and New York Mets (2021).

Villar’s best seasons to date were 2016 with the Brewers and 2019 with the Orioles. During the former, he hit .285 while swiping an impressive 62 stolen bases. During the latter, Villar hit a career-high 24 home runs and 73 RBI while playing all 162 games. Villar slugged 18 home runs and 42 RBI spanning 142 games this past season for the division-rival Mets. Having played second base, shortstop, third base, and even some outfield in his career, Villar would have been a nice, versatile player to have at the Phillies’ disposal in the past decade.

5. J.P. Crawford, Infielder

Combined between the 2017 and 2018 seasons, J.P. Crawford hit just .214 in 72 games while donning Phillies red pinstripes. After the 2018 season, the team was desperate to get out of first baseman Carlos Santana’s contract — ultimately deciding to trade their former top-hitting prospect to the Seattle Mariners.

One of the three players the Phillies received in return for Crawford and Santana is still on the team — second baseman Jean Segura.

Crawford has improved in every season since, hitting .226 in 2019, .255 in 2020, and .273 in 2021 with the Mariners. In 2020, the California native earned Gold Glove honors — committing just three errors spanning 454 2/3 innings and 221 chances at shortstop.

Considering the Phillies received less-than-ideal production from Didi Gregorius at shortstop last season, not having Crawford crept into the back of many’s minds. Luckily, rising prospect Bryson Stott seems to be a possible long-term solution at the position, and will likely get a chance to earn a starting role come spring training.