The Massive Advantage the Phillies Have Over the Braves

In the last two seasons, it was the Braves who got out to a fast start, and the Phillies lagging behind. Last year by Memorial Day, the Phillies were pretty much already out of the division race. But in 2024, the tables have turned. The Phillies are 6 games up, with the Braves hitting a few speed bumps of late.

It leaves some people to wonder will that also turn the tables in the playoffs. Because despite finishing with a far better record than the Phillies those past two seasons, it was the Phillies who came out on top in the playoffs. Two straight 5-game series led to 2 straight victories for the Phillies. Neither series was even close with the Phillies rolling over them.

So should they be worried about that happening to them this year as the favorite? No. For one simple reason, starting pitching.

Between the Dodgers and the Braves both falling on their face these past two post-seasons, there has been a lot of talk about how the bye week is a disadvantage.

Oddly enough the Astros didn't have that problem. They had the bye in each of the last two seasons/ They won it all in 2022, and then made it to the ALCS last season.

What actually sunk the Braves and the Dodgers, was their starting pitching, or lack thereof. Last year Spencer Strider was the only reliable starter they had. Max Fried was hurt, again, and Bryce Elder isn't a post-season caliber pitcher. The Dodgers were in even worse shape.

The Phillies have perhaps the best 3-man rotation in baseball. It is why they had so much playoff success the past two seasons. the same goes for the Astros.

Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suarez is what separated them from the Dodgers and Braves.

Now the Dodgers should be in better shape starter-wise this year.

The Braves? We are not so sure yet. Two months in, their rotation has been great. Max Fried, Chris Sale, and Reynaldo Lopez have been fantastic. The problem is Sale and Lopez haven't pitched 150 innings since 2018. Both of them have had availability issues. Will they hold up over a full season?

We know we can count on Wheeler, Nola, and Suarez. The Braves can't say that about their 3 guys. They can't even say it about Max Fried who has been a weak link for the Braves for both playoff series vs the Phillies.

Come October, the Phillies will still have all the same advantages over the Braves as they had the past two seasons. A Bye week won't change that, because the bye week was never the problem. The problem was the Braves did not have the pitching to compete with Philly. They still don't.

The Phillies have the pitching though. The Phillies can put their 3-man rotation vs anyone in baseball, and have the advantage. It is why you don't need to be worried they will go the way of the Braves or Dodgers the past two years. They have way more in common with the Astros.

The professional sports franchise with the longest tenure in one city with one name has its fair share of history.

Any list of all-time Philadelphia Phillies accomplishments can glorify big names like Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose, or Richie Ashburn. However, some of the most impactful acquisitions have come from the best trades in Phillies history.

The Fightin’ Phils have traded for their all-time wins leader, one of the fiercest competitors in MLB history, and the man responsible for clinching the 2008 World Series.

Legends like Steve Carlton and Roy Halladay will persist in the hearts of Philadelphia fans, but what about the general managers who made the moves happen?

Paul Owens gets the bulk of the glory as the architect of the 1980 World Series. However, it was John Quinn who landed Steve Carlton in his final deal with the Phillies.

Ruben Amaro Jr. unceremoniously left the front office, but he also assembled the best pitching staff in Phillies history.

One forgotten era in Phillies history also included trades for some of the best-kept secrets before they became star players. The decade following the 1993 World Series wasn't pretty, but imagine how much worse it would've been if the Phillies hadn't traded for Curt Schilling or Bobby Abreu.

The Phillies have made their fair share of blunders too. It was also bound to happen for a franchise that’s been around since 1883.

They infamously gave up too soon on Ferguson Jenkins. One of the most regrettable ones that got away was a throw-in sweetener in a deal with the Chicago Cubs. 

Phillies fans will adamantly demand for the best deals every season leading up to the MLB Trade Deadline. However, they should also remember that these deals can go unimaginably far in either direction.

Phillies Get: Jose Alvarado
Los Angeles Dodgers Get: Garrett Cleavinger (from Phillies)
Tampa Bay Rays Get: Dillon Paulson, player to be named later (from Dodgers)

Philadelphia teams seem like they’re always the ones who give up too soon and trade talented young players who haven’t reached their full potential. Jose Alvarado reversed the trend.

The Hefty Lefty accepted a demotion to the minors in 2022 and recreated a power sinker. He returned to the majors and stepped into one of the most important high-leverage roles on the way to a World Series appearance in 2022.

He’s now one of the strongest power arms at the back of the Phillies bullpen.

Garrett Cleavinger still has the potential to match Alvarado, but the Phillies got the best immediate return from the trade.

July 27, 2007
Phillies Get: Tadahito Iguchi
Chicago White Sox Get: Michael Dubee

What did the Phillies send to the White Sox for a lineup regular with .278 and .281 respective batting averages in his only two full MLB seasons? Michael Dubee, pitching coach Rich Dubee’s son, a Single A pitcher who ultimately never made it to the major leagues.

Why would Chicago GM Kenny Williams trade Tadahito Iguchi? It makes a little more sense in the big picture. The Phillies also acquired Freddy Garcia from the White Sox the previous offseason. Landing an expected ace was a big part of the reason Jimmy Rollins spoke so confidently about “the team to beat” in the NL East.

It turned out to be one of the worst trades in franchise history. Garcia pitched 11 games in his only season in Philadelphia. The injuries that kept him off the mound very well might’ve existed before the trade.

According to Gillick’s former assistant GM, The Phillies essentially picked up Tadahito Iguchi as an apology from Kenny Williams and the White Sox.

Iguchi hit .304 in 45 games to finish the 2007 season. He played an everyday role for the first month while Utley sat. He later moved into a bench role after the everyday second baseman reentered the lineup.

Iguchi famously slid into home on Chase Utley’s walk-off hit in an August thriller against the New York Mets that helped the historic NL East comeback.

August 19, 2006
Phillies Get: Jamie Moyer
Seattle Mariners Get: Andy Baldwin, Andrew Barb

The MLB Trade Deadline used to allow for waiver deals during the month of August. Before the overdue rule change, Pat Gillick landed Jamie Moyer for two minor leaguers in August 2006.

Moyer never had head-turning velocity in his previous 20 seasons of major league experience, so his age didn’t factor into his ability to pitch much. He began his stint in Philadelphia at age 43 and remarkably made 118 starts in five seasons.

The local kid from Souderton and Saint Joseph’s University became one of the feel-good stories of the 2008 World Series. Neither Baldwin nor Barb ever played in an MLB game.

February 7, 2019
Phillies Get: J.T. Realmuto
Miami Marlins Get: Sixto Sanchez, Jorge Alfaro, Will Stewart, international bonus slot money

The class of free agents entering the 2019 season forced a domino effect on the entire sport. The Phillies were desperate for a superstar to reestablish themselves as a contender after a long period of dormancy.

They lured Bryce Harper by trading for the best catcher in baseball. Matt Klentak sent stud pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez to the Marlins for J.T. Realmuto.

Realmuto became a key piece in the miracle ride to the World Series in 2022. Sixto Sanchez had drawn comparisons to Pedro Martinez, but injuries derailed the early years of his career.

Stewart never made it to the major leagues. Alfaro spent some serviceable seasons with the Marlins, but he never approached the caliber of Realmuto.

July 29, 2009
Phillies Get: Cliff Lee, Ben Francisco
Cleveland Indians Get: Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Jason Knapp, Jason Donald

The chatter leading up to the MLB Trade Deadline in 2009 focused on Roy Halladay. Could the Phillies land the best pitcher in the game and repeat with another World Series? 

Instead, Ruben Amaro Jr. traded for Cliff Lee. The nonchalant Arkansas native looked effortless and unaffected by the pressure of the MLB postseason during a run to the World Series in 2009.

The rest of the starting rotation struggled to make it through a deep playoff run. Lee won both of his starts against the New York Yankees, but the Phillies lost in six games.

The Phillies missed out on a long career from Carlos Carrasco. However, it’s all relative to the risk of aggressive trade deadline spending in a window of World Series contention. 

Although the trade only kept Lee in Philadelphia for a few months, the instant dynamic with the fan base played a major factor in convincing him to sign with the Phillies before the 2011 season.

June 18, 1989
Phillies Get: Lenny Dykstra, Roger McDowell, Tom Edens
New York Mets Get: Juan Samuel

It’s funny how a new uniform can change the fans’ attitude about a guy. Phillies fans hated Lenny Dykstra as a member of the Mets. Nails was the grinder who got under opponents’ skin on the way to a World Series in 1986.

His gritty style transferred over with a division rival after the deal. Dykstra hit over .300 in three of his first four seasons in Philadelphia, and he became a major catalyst for the 1993 National League champs. 

Roger McDowell also spent time at the back end of the bullpen in parts of three seasons. He saved 44 games for the Phillies before they traded him again in 1991.

Juan Samuel had some good seasons with the Phillies in the early part of his career. However, he only played 86 games for the Mets after the trade before moving to five other MLB teams to finish his career.

November 18, 1997
Phillies Get: Bobby Abreu
Tampa Bay Devil Rays Get: Kevin Stocker

The Phillies swindled the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1997 when they acquired 23-year-old Bobby Abreu after just 64 career major league games. 

Say what you want about Abreu. His demeanor never clicked in Philadelphia. He wasn’t a great outfielder (although he strangely won a Gold Glove in 2005). The decision to trade him for a minimal return in 2006 proved to be addition by subtraction. 

Don’t let that make you forget his offensive production. 

He sits 11th in Phillies history with 195 home runs and seventh in stolen bases with 254. His outstanding .303/.416/.513 slash line would make modern MLB front offices gush.

Stocker helped the Phillies to the World Series in his rookie season in 1993, but he only played three more MLB seasons after the deal. He hit .237 collectively with the Devil Rays and the Anaheim Angels.

April 2, 1992
Phillies Get: Curt Schilling
Houston Astros Get: Jason Grimsley

The Baltimore Orioles and the Houston Astros couldn’t unlock Curt Schilling’s talent early in his career. He hit his stride after a deal to the Phillies in 1992. 

Schilling established himself at the top of the rotation for the 1993 National League champions. He became the unquestioned ace during the mid and late 1990s, but the fading talent around him ultimately led to his departure.

The Phillies enjoyed the benefits of an excellent talent for nine seasons, but they let him get away to win three World Series in two other uniforms.

Grimsley pitched in the majors for 12 more seasons. He became a respectable journeyman reliever, but his accomplishments pale in comparison to Schilling.

December 16, 2009
Phillies Get: Roy Halladay, cash
Toronto Blue Jays Get: Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor, Travis d’Arnaud

The prospect experts loved Kyle Drabek. It seemed daring to deal a top young pitcher with tremendous potential, but Roy Halladay was available.

Ruben Amaro Jr. landed the long-time Blue Jays ace at age 32. Halladay announced his unrelenting mission for dominance with a perfect game less than two months into his Phillies tenure.

He only started 108 regular-season and playoff games in parts of four seasons for Philadelphia. However, two elite seasons in 2010 and 2011 and his frightening competitive spirit put him in franchise folklore.

Drabek never spent a full season in an MLB starting rotation. He demonstrated how uncertain prospect projections can be and the value of aggressive moves for teams with a window for World Series contention. 

While d’Arnaud turned into a solid major leaguer, the Phillies will never regret sending him away.

November 7, 2007
Phillies Get: Brad Lidge, Eric Bruntlett
Houston Astros Get: Michael Bourn, Geoff Geary, Mike Costanzo

A monstrous three-run blast from Albert Pujols in the 2005 NLCS supposedly ruined the psyche of All-Star closer Brad Lidge.

Former Phillies GM Ed Wade dealt Lidge to the Phillies in the deal that catapulted them to their second World Series. Pat Gillick sent back a package centered around Michael Bourn.

Lidge’s glory didn’t last long in Philadelphia. He blew 11 saves in 2009 and never regained a rhythm afterwards.

However, 48 saves in 48 chances had already solidified his place in franchise history. The Phillies wouldn't have won the World Series in 2008 without Brad Lidge. Eric Bruntlett also played a solid role as a utility man and defensive replacement.

Bourn became an excellent base stealer for the Astros. He stole 61 in 2009, 52 in 2010, and 61 in 2011. He carved out a solid 11-year career.

Geary spent two seasons with the Astros. Costanzo only played 17 career MLB games.

February 25, 1972
Phillies Get: Steve Carlton
St. Louis Cardinals Get: Rick Wise

Rick Wise made his first of two MLB All-Star teams in 1971 in the last of his seven seasons in Philadelphia. He’ll never have much association in franchise history for that because fans remember his name as the guy the Phillies traded for Steve Carlton.

Carlton had developed into a 20-game winner early in his career with the Cardinals, but General Manager John Quinn stole him from the Red Birds in 1972.

Lefty came out fast with a 27-10 record and a 1.97 ERA in his first season with the Phillies. He won the first of his four Cy Youngs and laid the groundwork to become the best pitcher in franchise history.

Wise pitched well in two seasons with the Cardinals. He hung around for nine more years in the majors after leaving St. Louis.

The Phillies weren’t worried about what they gave up. What they got back was plenty to keep them happy.

They immortalize Steve Carlton with a statue outside Citizens Bank Park.