The Main Event

July 29 has landed right in the thick of several Phillies trade deadlines over the decades, and the results have run the gamut from franchise-altering steals to quiet depth moves. Below is a rundown of the seven trades the Phillies have made on this date (leaving aside a couple of straightforward cash purchases), what was going on with the club at the time, how each deal played out, and what became of the players Philadelphia sent away.

1910: Fred Luderus for Bill Foxen

On July 29, 1910, the Phillies sent left-handed pitcher Bill Foxen to the Chicago Cubs for a young, little-used first baseman named Fred Luderus. Luderus was buried on Chicago’s bench, batting just .204 in limited at-bats, and the Cubs were happy to unload him for a warm arm. It turned into one of the most lopsided trades in franchise history.

Luderus became the Phillies’ regular first baseman for nine seasons, collecting 1,322 hits and hitting .438 in the 1915 World Series, the only pennant the Phillies won before 1950. Foxen, for his part, made only five more big-league appearances and was out of the majors within two seasons, finishing with a career record of 16-20.

2000: Ron Gant to the Angels for Kent Bottenfield

By late July 2000 the Phillies were rebuilding on the fly, having traded ace Curt Schilling to Arizona just four days earlier. On July 29, they sent 35-year-old outfielder Ron Gant, their leading home-run hitter that season, to the Anaheim Angels for right-hander Kent Bottenfield.

Neither piece amounted to much afterward. Gant hit just .232 in 34 games for Anaheim and was out of baseball within a couple of seasons, while Bottenfield went 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in Philadelphia and wound down his own career soon after.

2002: The Scott Rolen Blockbuster

This one stung. Scott Rolen, the Phillies’ homegrown All-Star third baseman and a three-time Gold Glove winner, had made clear he had no interest in signing a long-term extension with Philadelphia. Rather than risk losing him for nothing in free agency, the Phillies traded Rolen and minor-league pitcher Doug Nickle to St. Louis on July 29, 2002, receiving infielder Placido Polanco, reliever Mike Timlin, and pitcher Bud Smith in return.

Rolen thrived in St. Louis, signing a long-term deal and helping the Cardinals reach two World Series. Polanco developed into a durable, well-regarded regular for Philadelphia and later returned to the club as a fan favorite; Timlin pitched effectively down the stretch before moving on to Boston, where he won two more championships. Bud Smith, who had thrown a no-hitter as a rookie the year before, was already fighting arm trouble and never won another big-league game. Doug Nickle never reached the majors.

2009: Cliff Lee Arrives

With the Phillies six games up in the NL East and looking to defend their World Series title, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. acquired reigning AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee from Cleveland along with outfielder Ben Francisco. The price was steep: shortstop Jason Donald, catcher Lou Marson, and pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Jason Knapp.

Lee was outstanding down the stretch and dominant in the postseason, going 4-0 in five playoff starts, including two wins over the Yankees in the World Series. Of the players Philadelphia gave up, only Carrasco developed into a legitimate big-league contributor, later making an All-Star team and topping 100 career wins with Cleveland. Knapp, once considered a future ace, was derailed by shoulder injuries almost immediately and never reached the majors. Donald and Marson had modest, unremarkable careers as role players.

2010: Adding Roy Oswalt

A year later, the Phillies again reinforced their rotation for a pennant run, acquiring three-time All-Star Roy Oswalt from Houston for left-hander J.A. Happ, outfield prospect Anthony Gose, and infielder Jonathan Villar, with the Astros also sending cash to offset Oswalt’s remaining salary.

Oswalt pitched well for Philadelphia over parts of two seasons. Happ went on to a long, useful career, pitching into his late thirties and winning a World Series with the 2019 New York Yankees. Gose was flipped to Toronto within minutes of the trade and later reinvented himself as a relief pitcher after his hitting career stalled. Villar developed into a productive everyday infielder, leading the National League in stolen bases in 2016.

2011: The Hunter Pence Trade

In 2011, the Phillies made another deadline splash, sending a package headlined by two well-regarded farm hands, first baseman Jonathan Singleton and pitcher Jarred Cosart, along with pitcher Josh Zeid and a player to be named later (outfielder Domingo Santana), to the Astros for All-Star right fielder Hunter Pence.

Pence provided a jolt for Philadelphia’s lineup down the stretch. The return, though, never blossomed as Houston hoped: Singleton signed a notable long-term extension before he had established himself in the majors, then struggled with drug suspensions and inconsistent hitting before fading from the big leagues. Cosart showed flashes of promise but battled control problems and off-field issues and was out of the majors by his late twenties. Zeid had a brief, marginal big-league career. Santana turned into the trade’s best long-term piece, hitting 30 home runs in a season for Milwaukee a few years later.

2019: Jason Vargas for Austin Bossart

The most modest of the bunch, this trade saw the Phillies acquire veteran left-hander Jason Vargas from the Mets on July 29, 2019, sending cash and minor-league catcher Austin Bossart to the New York Mets. Bossart, a well-regarded defender who had never gotten much traction offensively, didn’t stick with the Mets organization long-term. Vargas gave the Phillies innings down the stretch of a season that ultimately fell short of the playoffs, closing out a solid but unspectacular career shortly afterward.

The Bottom Line

Taken together, the date has been kind to the Phillies more often than not. The Luderus, Rolen, and Lee deals rank among the most consequential trades in franchise history, while the rest landed somewhere between useful and unremarkable — a fair reminder that not every deadline deal changes a franchise’s fortunes.

Philadelphia Baseball Events for July 29

  • July 29, 1961 – Don Ferrarese was the losing pitcher in a 4-3 game against the Giants — the first game of a 23-game losing streak; Orlando Cepeda hit his first career grand slam.
  • July 29, 1965 – Philadelphia and Pittsburgh combine for 26 strikeouts; Phillies win 5-0 on Ray Culp‘s two-hitter (10 K’s) over Bob Veale (14 K’s in 7 innings).
  • July 29, 1974 – Steve Carlton tosses a two-hitter to beat the Pirates 13-1. Mike Schmidt hits two homers.
  • July 29, 1984 – Juan Samuel and Von Hayes lead off with back-to-back homers, the first time in team history that occurred. Len Matuszek‘s ninth-inning homer wins it 6-4 over Montreal.
  • July 29, 1988 – Cubs’ Rick Sutcliffe steals home on a fake pickoff play, helping Chicago beat the Phillies 8-3.
  • July 29, 1989 – Phillies retire Steve Carlton‘s number 32 in a pregame ceremony.
  • July 29, 2007 – Anthony Alfonseca strikes out a batter on one pitch in relief of injured Ryan Madson; Phillies win 5-1.
  • July 29, 2021 – Brad Miller‘s grand slam in the bottom of the eighth caps an 11-8 walk-off win over Washington — first extra-inning walk-off slam in franchise history.

ICYMI

Philadelphia Baseball Birthdays for July 29

  • Earl Moore (born 1879) – A right-handed pitcher who pitched for the Phillies from 1908-1913. Moore pitched 14 seasons for five different teams, winning 163 games – 67 with the Phillies – and posting a 2.78 ERA.
  • Steve Frey (born 1963) – Pitched the last two seasons of his eight-year career with the Phillies, going 0-1, 3.80 in 40 relief appearances.
  • Mike Williams (born 1969) – Spent six-plus seasons (1992-1996, 2003) with the Phillies during a 12-year career.
  • Chad Billingsley (born 1984) – Made seven starts with the Phillies in 2015, his last season in the majors, and posted a 5.84 ERA.
  • Braeden Fausnaught (born 1999) – A left-hander on the 60-Day IL after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Fausnaught signed with the Phillies as an undrafted free agent.

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