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Philadelphia Phillies: 7 best trade deadline deals in franchise history

By Tim Boyle

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 6: (L-R) Cliff Lee #33, Roy Oswalt #44 and Roy Halladay #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies watch from the dugout during the Phillies game against the New York Mets in the second inning on April 6, 2011 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 10-7. (Photo by Miles Kennedy/Philadelphia Phillies/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 6: (L-R) Cliff Lee #33, Roy Oswalt #44 and Roy Halladay #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies watch from the dugout during the Phillies game against the New York Mets in the second inning on April 6, 2011 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 10-7. (Photo by Miles Kennedy/Philadelphia Phillies/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 13: Matt Stairs #12 of the Philadelphia Phillies at bat in the eighth inning against Jonathan Broxton #51 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in game Game Four of the National League Championship Series during the 2008 MLB playoffs on October 13, 2008 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) /

6) Best Phillies trade deadline deal: Matt Stairs from the Blue Jays

One moment pretty much summed up Matt Stairs’ success with the Phillies. You remember it well. He took a Jonathan Broxton pitch in Los Angeles over the moon in the 2008 NLCS.

Stairs wasn’t quite as good as Eyre was with the Phillies. However, it was that single postseason hit he would have in only four trips to the plate that made him a Philadelphia sports legend.

Stairs was a longtime slugger who would fit perfectly in today’s universal DH world. He had seasons of regular action earlier on in his career mostly with the Oakland Athletics. He was a journeyman by the time he would reach Philly and already 40-years-old.

This didn’t stop Stairs from being used well by the team in the regular season as a pinch-hitter. He slugged a pair of home runs for them in this role while slashed .294/.316/.706. The next season wasn’t nearly as productive with Stairs batting only .194/.357/.379 with 5 home runs in 129 trips to the plate.

It appeared the magic of 2008 wore off for a couple of players when the team went back to the World Series in 2009. Guys like Stairs, Brad Lidge, and Cole Hamels just weren’t quite the same. Unlike Lidge’s perfect 2008 and Hamels’ World Series MVP that same year, Stairs was the guy who had a lone moment we all remember. It all started with a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays for Fabio Castro.

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