Cleveland Indians: Revisiting Brandon Phillips’ departure
Had the Cleveland Indians kept a key piece in a one of the more memorable trades in team’s history, their roster would have been even stronger over the years.
Former Cleveland Indians infielder Brandon Phillips made history on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Atlanta Brave became the 48th player and sixth second baseman in MLB history to record 200 home runs and 200 steals.
Not too bad for a guy who was traded for pitcher Jeff Stevens back in 2006. Stevens did not advance past Triple-A with the Tribe and was traded just two years later.
At the time, maybe it was not the worst move for the Indians. Phillips had not progressed the way the team anticipated after acquiring him in the Montreal Expos trade involving starting pitcher Bartolo Colon in 2002.
He spent the majority of his three-plus seasons with the Indians’ organization in the minors.
When Phillips was out of minor league options, the team had a decision to make. As a result, Cleveland decided to deal Phillips to the Cincinnati Reds, where he became a three-time all-star and four-time Gold Glove winner.
Then-Indians assistant general manager Chris Antonetti ended up being right when he said “(Phillips) still has a chance to be a very good Major League player.”
Going back in time, the Indians obviously wish he would have become that “very good” player for their organization. But would it have happened?
Phillips was on the record saying the trade helped motivated him to become a better player. He told Fox Sports back in 2013:
"When a team is going bad, somebody has to be a scapegoat. It was a learning experience for me and everything that happens happens for a reason and it made me a stronger person and gave me a second chance with another organization to show my talent. From the bad things they told me about myself, yes, I hated at the time. But I walked away from that and went home to Stone Mountain, Ga. and said, ‘You know what, I’m going to change this hatred into motivation. And that’s what made me grow up, right there."
The Reds also were able to give Phillips everyday playing time. He played all but 13 games in his first season in Cincinnati in a lineup loaded with veterans.
Outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr., outfielder/DH Adam Dunn and infielder Rich Aurilia anchored an impressive lineup.
While the Reds provided a great opportunity for Phillips, the same could not be said about the Indians.
First and foremost, Phillips and manager Eric Wedge did not see eye-to-eye. In the same interview with Fox Sports, Phillips told the network he had no problem with the Indians anymore because “the man ain’t there no more.” That man is clearly Wedge, who was with the Seattle Mariners at the time of the interview.
His route to playing time was also significantly different in Cincy than it would have been in Cleveland. Second baseman Ronnie Belliard and shortstop Jhonny Peralta were locked into middle-infield roles. Meanwhile, infielder Asdrubal Cabrera was just a year away from debuting in the majors.
The irony of the situation, though, is the 2007 season, which turned out to be Phillips’ career-best year. That same season, the Indians fell to the Boston Red Sox in seven games in the ALCS. If Phillips was on the team, things may have been different.
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Though Indians fans cannot play the “what if” game, we can, collectively, congratulate Phillips on what has been an outstanding career.