The Phillies' acquisition of starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo from the Marlins this offseason seemed like a depth move, meant to help gently strengthen a loaded pitching staff.
But then for 11 glorious starts, he looked like an ace — and the trade looked like a master stroke from front office chief Dave Dombrowski.
Then came 12 runs allowed against the Brewers, and eight more Thursday afternoon in Toronto. A whopping 20 runs in 5.2 innings, after just 16 in his dominating starts prior. His ERA last week was 2.15. It's ballooned to 4.46.
For whatever reason (and that reason is most likely just bad luck), the Dombrowski regime has not really made a signature trade. And while it's entirely possible, even likely, that Luzardo finds his sea legs again over hopefully 20 more starts this season, the jury is still out on whether the offseason swap that brought him here was the among the best trades of the current regime (since 2021, prior to the J.T. Realmuto trade in 2019). And there aren't many to boast about.
Dombrowski's splashiest and most impactful moves have been on the free agent market, most notably landing Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner. He's also been at the helm for what may pan out to be a very lucrative stretch of amateur drafts, beginning with Andrew Painter in 2021.
But as far as trades go, the Phillies haven't made many blockbusters. Here's a look at the top five trades made by Dombrowski, along with a few honorable mentions worth recognizing.
(For some context, mid-level prospects Emaarion Boyd and Starlyn Caba were the compensation sent to Miami to bring the Luzardo to Philly)
1. José Alvarado (for Garrett Cleavinger)
He's suspended right now, which obviously knocks him down a peg. But no Phillies trade acquisition has made more of an impact than Alvarado, who has a 3.37 ERA, 37 saves and a wholly impressive 11.8 strikeouts per nine over his five years and 229.2 innings in Philadelphia. He's arguably been the best lefty reliever on the team over the last decade, while Cleavinger has been a solid but not remarkable starter for a few teams since he was traded as a prospect.
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2. Brandon Marsh (for Logan O'Hoppe)
O'Hoppe has been good with the Angels, but not better than J.T. Realmuto. O'Hoppe was highly touted, but he'd have been a backup in Philly if he wasn't traded. That the Phillies got a (close to) everyday starter for him makes the move a pretty good transaction. Marsh has been a fan favorite and excellent defender, though frustratingly limited as a left-handed batter who can't really hit lefties.
3. Carlos Estévez (for George Klassen and Sam Aldegheri)
The Phillies got just 20 games and 21 innings from Estévez in 2024 after a trade deadline move, but he was a stud and helped carry the Phillies and their impressively lopsided bullpen to a 95-win season. Dombrowski elected not to bring him back in 2025, and he's been killing it in Kansas City with a 1.85 ERA so far.
4. Edmundo Sosa (for JoJo Romero)
At first glance, this feels like a great trade for the Phillies. They got their uber-talented utilityman for a middle-of-the-road prospect. Sosa has played every position for the Phillies, with a .266 batting average and 20 homers in what amounts to about a year and a half's worth of playing time since 2022. But he's a backup, and has been blocked at every position he's played. Romero turned out to be a pretty solid lefty reliever who currently has a 3.44 ERA with the Cardinals.
5. Garrett Stubbs (for minor leaguer Logan Cerny)
The cost for Stubbs was minimal, and his impact was palpable. Though Stubbs is no longer with the big league team he was a clubhouse leader, a fan favorite and a party animal who got to drench the Citizens Bank Park home clubhouse in beer and champagne multiple times. He was an average backup catcher at best, but his value can be measured beyond the box score.
Some other notable Dombrowski-helmed trades:
• Acquired Austin Hays for Seranthony Domínguez and Cristian Pache
• Picked up prospects Moisés Chace and Seth Johnson for Gregory Soto
• Swapped Nick Maton, Donny Sands and Matt Vierling to the Tigers for Soto and Kody Clemens
• Traded prospect Hao-Yu Lee for Michael Lorenzen (who pitched a no-hitter and did little else)
• Jettisoned first overall pick Mickey Moniak and Jadiel Sanchez for a washed-up Noah Syndergaard
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