🚨 JUST IN: Phillies history takes a dramatic turn as the Jim Thome Black Friday trade proves to be the seismic move that changed everything ⚡.DD
This was a Black Friday deal the Phillies had to make, and we’re glad they did.
It was Black Friday, Nov. 25, 2005, when the Philadelphia Phillies made a trade that altered the franchise as fans knew it. It has been 20 years since Phillies general manager Pat Gillick chose to trade Jim Thome, one of the brightest spots on an otherwise bleak early 2000s roster, to the Chicago White Sox.
At the time, Thome was the Phillies’ most significant free agent addition in franchise history. He wasn’t just a fan-favorite slugger. He also signified what many in the front office, as well as in the stands, hoped would be a more productive era of Phillies baseball as the club made its way in the new Citizens Bank Park.
However, when Thome suffered a right elbow injury in July of 2005, which needed season-ending surgery, it was time for a young Ryan Howard to quite literally step up to the plate. He succeeded, hitting .288/.356/.567 with 22 home runs and 63 RBIs in 88 games, and ultimately won the 2005 National League Rookie of the Year for said heroics.
Trading Jim Thome and letting Ryan Howard loose on MLB was one of the best moves in Phillies history
While the trade initially sent seismic waves through the Phillies fandom, it turned out to be a win-win for both the organization and the veteran who spent a good few years in Philadelphia. In return for Thome, the Phillies received Aaron Rowand, probably the most recognizable of the bunch thanks to his face-shattering heroics in center field, Daniel Haigwood, and a player to be named later who ended up being Gio González.
With both Thome and Howard not really equipped to play anywhere else but first base (this was before the designated hitter came to the NL), one of the two infielders needed to go. Thome was a fantastic fit in terms of personality, but he was the wiser choice to move thanks to his age and declining defensive output.
Thome went on to become a phenomenal designated hitter for the White Sox for years. In return, the Phillies were able to begin shifting to a younger core with the likes of Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Cole Hamels. They retained Aaron Rowand, who, thanks to his catch in 2006, cemented himself in Phillies history while embodying what that era of Phillies baseball was all about: laying it all on the line with everything they had.
With first base all his, Howard won the NL MVP in 2006 with a ridiculous season that saw him hit .313/.425/.659 and lead the majors with 58 home runs (still a franchise record) and 149 RBIs. He went on to finish his 13-year career with an .859 OPS (125 OPS+), hitting 329 homers and driving in 1,149 runs. Howard made three All-Star teams, was integral to the 2008 World Series championship, and was the 2009 NLCS MVP.
Had Gillick traded “The Big Piece,” who knows where the championship team from 2008 would’ve ended up? Who knows what that entire chapter of Phillies history would’ve looked like?
Thome got to continue on with his successful career, including another pit stop in Philadelphia toward the end of his career. The Phillies, much to the thanks of Howard, got to experience what it feels like to be on top of the baseball world thanks to some of the direct results from this moment in Phillies history.
