As we watch the Phillies make trades to rebuild the Phillies' farm system, we cannot help but wonder what other options are out there before the Phillies made a deal. So far the Phillies have gotten a trio of young pitchers in exchange for Jimmy Rollins and Marlon Byrd. Some may pan out; really, it is okay if not all do. Part of the challenge of trading franchise pitcher Cole Hamels is to make sure that the Phillies get the right package back.
The Phillies had to deal franchise player Scott Rolen back in 2002, and the trade that they did not make would have been much, much worse. Long before Rolen played for the Cincinnati Reds, the Reds had hoped to acquire him, before their owner shot the deal down.
Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune wrote in 2002:
Bowden said he was set to bring both Rolen and Finley to Cincinnati before owner Carl Lindner got cold feet, refusing to add payroll because of the possibility of a season-ending strike.
Bowden was pursuing Rolen as late as Monday. He's believed to have agreed on a deal to send Scott Williamson, Brandon Larson and a minor-league prospect to the Phillies. That's better than the deal Philadelphia GM Ed Wade took later that day, getting Bud Smith, Placido Polanco and Mike Timlin from the Cardinals.
In retrospect, the Phillies did much better than that.
Williamson was a sometimes closer who the Reds eventually traded to the Red Sox a year later. Williamson posted ERAs over 5.50 two seasons, and while was generally servicible at times, never really made an impact. Brandon Larsen, the possible centerpiece of the deal, played parts of four years in the majors, often failing to hit his way out of the .100s. While he was a prolific college player at LSU who won a College World Series MVP award, Larsen never did amount to much in baseball.
Placido Polanco put together a really nice career, winning gold gloves at second base and third base, and serving as an All-Star three times and won an ALCS MVP award. Unfortunately, the Phillies dealt Polanco away in favor of David Bell and missed out on Polanco's best years in baseball. With Rolen's injuries and infrequent full seasons, one could argue that Polanco had a better career after the time of the trade.
As things stand today, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. has gotten a decent return in exchange for the trades that he made. Amaro can also be commended for only signing free agents last season such as Marlon Byrd and A.J. Burnett that did not require draft pick compensation.
As Amaro gears up to trade Cole Hamels, he could end up getting the Williamson package that people at the time think is best; however, he could settle for option B that ends up working out. Sometimes the trade that you do not make ends up working out better for you.
