March 15: Was Albert Pujols Nearly A Phillie?

The Main Event

March 15, 2010 – After a report by ESPN’s Buster Olney, a rumor circulated widely during spring training suggesting the Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals had discussed a potential blockbuster trade involving sluggers Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols before their impending free agencies. Officials from both clubs quickly denied the report and no legitimate negotiations ever developed.

In March of 2010, during the early days of spring training, a report from ESPN insider Buster Olney briefly sent shockwaves through two National League fan bases. Olney reported that there had been internal discussions about a potential blockbuster trade involving Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard and St. Louis Cardinals superstar Albert Pujols. The rumor appeared at a time when both sluggers were looming over the future of their respective franchises. Each was approaching a contract crossroads, and both teams were beginning to think about long term payroll commitments.

Howard and Pujols were both entering the final season of their contracts with their respective teams. The idea that two of the biggest power hitters of the era could be swapped for each other was shocking enough to immediately grab attention across baseball.

Olney’s report suggested the concept had at least been mentioned in conversation. It was not described as an advanced negotiation, but simply as one of those ideas that sometimes surfaces when front offices explore every possible scenario.

Immediate Reactions From Both Teams

The response from the Phillies and Cardinals organizations was swift and firm. Officials from both teams downplayed the report almost immediately. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. did not publicly confirm any real talks and made it clear that the organization viewed Howard as a cornerstone player. The Phillies had built their lineup around his power and run production during the club’s most successful era in decades.

From the Cardinals side, the reaction was similar. Team leadership insisted that Pujols remained the face of the franchise and that there had been no serious effort to move him. St. Louis had every intention of trying to keep their superstar long term, even though contract negotiations were already expected to be complicated.

In reality, it sounded like the kind of theoretical conversation that sometimes pops up in baseball circles. Front offices often discuss dramatic possibilities just to gauge value or explore leverage. Still, once the idea reached the public through Olney’s report, it quickly took on a life of its own.

Fan Reactions in Philadelphia and St. Louis

Fans in both cities reacted with a mixture of disbelief, curiosity, and strong opinions. In Philadelphia, the idea of trading Howard produced a split reaction. Some fans dismissed the rumor outright because Howard had become such an important figure in the Phillies’ rise from rebuilding club to perennial contender. He was the 2006 National League MVP and one of the defining power hitters of the late 2000s.

Others, however, quietly acknowledged that Pujols was widely considered the better overall player. Pujols combined elite power with better defense, higher batting averages, and stronger on base numbers. From a purely baseball perspective, some Phillies fans admitted the trade might make sense. Emotionally, though, it was harder to accept the idea of moving a homegrown star who had helped deliver the 2008 World Series title.

Cardinals fans reacted even more strongly against the rumor. Pujols was not just their best player. He was the heart of the franchise and already one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. Many fans in St. Louis viewed the idea of trading him as almost unthinkable, even if the return was another elite slugger like Howard.

Talk radio, message boards, and sports columns in both cities lit up for days with debates about whether either team would ever seriously consider such a deal.

How It Might Have Changed Phillies History

Looking back, the rumor invites a fascinating bit of baseball what if speculation. The Phillies remained contenders for several seasons after 2010, but their window gradually closed after the core of their championship team aged and injuries mounted. Howard in particular struggled late in his Phillies tenure after suffering a devastating Achilles injury in the 2011 postseason.

Pujols continued to produce at a high level before leaving the Cardinals as a free agent after the 2011 season. If the Phillies had somehow acquired him in 2010, it could have changed several key chapters of franchise history. His consistent offensive production might have strengthened an already powerful lineup during the final years of the Phillies’ contention window.

At the same time, the financial and roster ripple effects would have been enormous. Howard’s five-year, $125-million extension that was announced in April of 2010, shaped the Phillies payroll for much of the decade. A different contract path with Pujols might have altered other decisions involving players like Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels, or Chase Utley.

In the end, the trade never moved beyond rumor stage. But for a brief moment during the spring of 2010, baseball fans were left imagining one of the most stunning superstar swaps the sport had ever seen.

Philadelphia Baseball Events for March 15

• March 15, 2009 – The Phillies drew a record crowd for a spring training game at Bright House Field in Clearwater when 10,335 fans attended a Grapefruit League matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals. The large turnout reflected the surge in fan interest following the club’s 2008 World Series championship and helped produce one of the highest-attended spring training seasons in franchise history.
• March 15, 2012 – Former Philadelphia Athletics and Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Dave Philley died at age 91 in his hometown of Paris, Texas. A highly respected switch-hitter and one of baseball’s greatest pinch-hitters, Philley played parts of three seasons with the Athletics (1951–1953) and later returned to Philadelphia with the Phillies from 1958-1960.

MLB Events for March 15

• March 15, 1945 – Bert Shepard, a one-legged pitcher, begins a successful tryout with the Washington Senators. Shepard’s leg was amputated after a World War II flying mission. Shepard will pitch in only one game for the Senators, but his stint will be impressive. On August 4th, he will pitch five and one-third innings of one-run ball against the Boston Red Sox. Also a symbol of wartime baseball, outfielder Pete Gray of the St. Louis Browns, will field and bat with only one arm.
• March 15, 1977 – In a ten-player mega-trade, the Pittsburgh Pirates send Tony Armas, Doug Bair, Dave Giusti, Rick Langford, Doc Medich, and Mitchell Page to the Oakland Athletics, in exchange for Phil Garner, Tommy Helms, and Chris Batton.
• March 15, 1978 – The Oakland Athletics trade star pitcher Vida Blue to the San Francisco Giants for seven players and nearly $400,000 in cash. In exchange for Blue, Oakland acquires catcher Gary Alexander, infielder Mario Guerrero, outfielder Gary Thomasson, and pitchers Dave Heaverlo, Phil Huffman, John Henry Johnson and Alan Wirth. Blue will win 18 games for the Giants this season.

ICYMI

Philly Baseball News – Wheeler, Kerkering Look Good in Live BP
PBN Extra Innings – The Saturday Six: 6 Prospects Who Helped Themselves in Big League Camp (subscription req’d)

Philadelphia Baseball Birthdays for March 15

• Dave Watkins (born 1944) – A catcher/outfielder, Watkins played for the Phillies in 1969. Watkins appeared as a catcher, third baseman, left fielder, and right fielder and after his 68 games with the Phillies in ’69, played in the minor leagues and internationally after leaving Philadelphia.
• Kim Batiste (born 1968) – An infielder who played for the Phillies from 1991 through 1994 and was a member of the club’s 1993 National League championship team. Batiste is remembered for driving in John Kruk with the winning run in Game 1 of the 1993 NLCS after recovering from a costly error earlier in the game.

MLB Hall of Fame Birthdays for March 15

• Harold Baines (born 1959) – Baines, a designated hitter and outfielder, played 22 seasons in the majors including 14 of them with the Chicago White Sox. He was a six-time all-star and won a Silver Slugger Award in 1989. Finished with a career line of: 384 HR, 1,628 RBI, .289 AVG, .359 OBP, .465 SLG, .824 OPS.

Take a deeper journey into our Phillies coverage with a free or paid subscription to
PBN Extra Innings; the companion site to PhillyBaseball.News.