The Phillies acquiring Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco from Cleveland ranks as the CBSSports.com MLB Rumors blog's fifth-best trade-deadline deal since 2007.
Year: 2009
Trading partner: Cleveland Indians
Who the Phillies acquired: Pitcher Cliff Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco
Who the Phillies gave up: Pitcher Carlos Carrasco, infielder Jason Donald, catcher Lou Marson and pitcher Jason Knapp.
Why the deal worked for the Phillies: In order to make a push for another World Series title, the Phillies acquired Lee to bolster their rotation. He performed well down the stretch, with a 3.39 ERA and a 2.83 FIP in 12 starts. Lee was also phenomenal in the postseason, winning all five of his starts. The Phillies lost to the Yankees in the World Series, but Lee performed like an ace.
Francisco performed well for Philly that season, too. He clubbed five home runs in just 105 plate appearances. He remained with the Phillies through the 2011 season as a fourth outfielder.
Where are they now? After being traded to Seattle, and later Texas, Lee returned to Philly with a five-year, $120 million contract. Since 2009, Lee ranks third among starting pitchers with 23.1 WAR.
Francisco is the fourth outfielder with the Blue Jays.
Carlos Carrasco has put up some average numbers with the Indians, and is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Jason Donald and Lou Marson are both filling backup roles for the Indians.
Jason Knapp was named Baseball America’s 64th-best prospect in 2010, but injuries have hurt his development. The last time he pitched in a game was in 2010.
