Philadelphia Phillies: 15 best trades in franchise history
By Tim Boyle
9) Best Philadelphia Phillies trade: Cy Williams from the Cubs.
The name Cy Williams may not mean much to most Phillies fans. After all, the trade that brought him to the City of Brotherly love took place more than 100 years ago. A three-time home run champion with the club including 41 dingers in 1923, he was one of the era’s better sluggers.
This trade took place the day after Christmas in 1917. Williams had already won a home run title in 1916 with the Cubs with an astonishing 12 home runs. Imagine the disappointment of everyone who grew up watching the sport in the 1990s to see how this could lead the league. Some struggles in 1917, including a league-worst 78 strikeouts (again, imagine the children of today!) made him an expendable trade piece for the Cubs.
They would flip him to the Phillies for Dode Paskert. A longtime center fielder for the Phillies, he would, ironically enough, lead the league in strikeouts his first season with the Cubs. He only stuck around for four more years, hitting .264/.345/.361 for the Cubs in the three he spent there.
Meanwhile, Williams had 13 seasons with the Phillies. He hit .306/.380/.500 during that time and knocked 217 home runs. Somewhat forgotten in the franchise’s lore, he was regularly hitting over .300 and crushing home runs. If only the team around him was better.