5 Philadelphia Phillies prospects we wish were never traded

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.