Philadelphia Phillies Officially Win Trade With Oakland A's

The Philadelphia Phillies officially won this trade with the Oakland A's.

Pitcher Bill Sullivan of the Lakewood BlueClaws. / WILLIAM BRETZGER via Imagn Content

Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has a long history of winning trades, and that list just grew a little longer.

The Oakland A's released pitching prospect Billy Sullivan this week, who they acquired from the Phillies in a trade for outfielder Cristian Pache in March 2023.

Sullivan, 25, never appeared in a major league game for the A's. He struggled at Triple-A Las Vegas last year with a 5.34 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP in 57 1/3 innings. He was even worse this year, allowing 13 runs and 10 walks in just 5 1/3 innings before being released.

Meanwhile, Pache has been a solid fourth outfielder for Philadelphia, batting .242/.330/.407 in 53 games for the Phillies and recently notching his first career walk-off hit. He could see more playing time soon as well given the struggles of Johan Rojas, who's batting just .200/.280/.244.

The Phillies sent Billy Sullivan to the Oakland A’s for Crisitan Pache last year. https://t.co/UzNu8AJkE3

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) April 18, 2024

Pache, 25, has emerged as a key bench player for Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Sullivan is still trying to reach the majors, let alone claim a consistent role there.

Given his recent control problems, Sullivan's MLB future appears in doubt. If he couldn't get a roster spot on the A's -- one of the worst teams in baseball -- it's hard to imagine him finding a new job elsewhere.

Pache isn't a star, but he's still a useful big leaguer. Dombrowski essentially got something for nothing in this trade, which counts as a win.

It may have been a minor move, but it's still an impactful one that's clearly benefitted Philly more than Oakland.