With the Philadelphia Phillies falling just short of the World Series this year, one wonders what area they could possibly have done better in that may have presented them with a different fate? One of the key events of the season was obviously the trade deadline, as it presented the ballclub with the opportunity to bolster their roster for the postseason run.
Looking back now at what the Phillies accomplished at the deadline, did they do enough to put themselves in a position to be strong contenders? Here, we re-graded their moves from the trade deadline to determine how much of an impact it had overall for the ballclub and their success in the playoffs.
The Phillies acquired infielder Rodolfo Castro from the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher Bailey Falter
At the time, this was more an under-the-radar move by the Phillies to bolster their bench as veteran Josh Harrison was designated for assignment on the very same day. Both Castro and Harrison could play multiple positions in the infield. However, the main difference between the two is that Castro is 15 years younger than Harrison, along with being able to hit from both sides of the plate with some added pop in his bat.
Unfortunately, Castro’s impact with the Phillies ended up being negligible, as he only saw 14 games of action, including six starts. He hit a measly .100 with a .256 OPS, with two runs scored and two RBI and would end up being left out of postseason action.
Falter began the season with the Phillies as part of their starting rotation. However, he struggled in the role and was eventually sent back down to the minors in mid-May. He found his way back to the majors following the trade to the Pirates, but his struggles at the major league level continued as he finished his MLB year with a combined 2-9 record with a 5.36 ERA, 1.41 WHIP with 60 strikeouts in 80 2/3 innings.
Castro never really helped the Phillies in their stretch run, while Falter literally “faltered” wherever he played, so one could call it a draw on the trade. However, the Phillies blew the chance to acquire an impact bench bat that could have made a difference when their offense suddenly went cold at the worst possible time against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the NLCS.
So for the trade, the Phillies deserve a D.