Former Phillies prospect's part in Tigers’ magical run raises questions about trade

The highly anticipated NLDS between long-time division rivals the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets promises to be a good one, despite the Phillies’ disastrous 6-2 Game 1 loss on Saturday. The Mets are looking to spoil the Phillies' chances of heading back to the World Series for a second time in three seasons.

The Mets' shocking turnaround certainly came out of nowhere. The scrappy ball club started to click before the All-Star break, and by September, they were breathing down the necks of the Atlanta Braves, with both teams tied for second place in the National League East when all was said and done.

While the Mets' playoff push dominated the headlines, another team with even slimmer playoff hopes battled its way into the Wild Card in the American League Central and now set its sights on the ALDS.

Many MLB insiders considered the Detroit Tigers dead in the water as the trade deadline approached, but manager AJ Hinch and his ball club were clearly not ready to buy into that narrative. Competing with a roster mostly constructed with unproven talent, the Tigers punched their ticket to the postseason by finishing in a statistical tie for second place with the Kansas City Royals, with much of that success coming via the steady play of a former Phillies prospect.

Matt Vierling's part in Tigers’ magical run raises questions about Gregory Soto trade

Former Phillies prospect Matt Vierling put together a career year during his second season in a Tigers uniform. Traded along with Nick Maton and Donny Sands in exchange for pitcher Gregory Soto and utilityman Kody Clemens in January of last year, Vierling established himself as a leader on a Tigers team lacking star power and MLB experience.

Over the course of 518 at-bats this season, Vierling batted .257 with 16 home runs and 57 RBI, along with 133 hits and six stolen bases. The 2018 fifth-round pick of the Phillies once again displayed his positional versatility, splitting his time between left and center field and logging time on both corners of the infield.

The 28-year-old collected two hits, a pair of walks and one RBI in the Tigers' shocking upset of the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Series.

The trade that sent Vierling to the Tigers looked to favor the Phillies when it was first announced. However, Vierling has maintained a consistent stat line during his two seasons in the Motor City, and former All-Star closer Soto's attitude and struggles were enough for the Phillies to deal him to the Baltimore Orioles at the trade deadline in July.

While Clemens has produced some clutch hits as a member of the Phillies over the last two seasons, roster dynamics and a need for right-handed bats have seen Clemens optioned back and forth between the Phillies and Lehigh Valley over the course of his Phillies career.

With Vierling establishing himself as an above-average position player, and with solid splits versus left-handed pitching, the deal that sent him out of town is starting to look increasingly worse.

The Phillies found themselves lacking a consistent right-handed outfield bat to slot in against southpaws for most of this season, and that necessitated them to fill that void by acquiring Austin Hays from Baltimore at the trade deadline. With a .275 batting average and 15 RBI against lefties this year, it's starting to look like the Phillies gave up on Vierling's bat a little too soon.