While the Phillies watched the playoffs from home for the 10th season in a row, their division rivals took home the World Series trophy. The MLB season wrapped up last night, with the Braves taking care of business in Houston by a final score of 7-0. The Braves have won their first World Series since 1995, ending the 26-year drought. As a Phillies fan, it was a bit tough to watch, especially considering we were only three games from taking the Braves postseason spot at the end of last year.

Last night, after the World Series win, Bryce Harper congratulated his good friend Freddie Freeman on Instagram. Freeman is set to hit free agency, but I don’t think it’s any secret that both the Braves and Freeman want to nail a deal down to keep him in Atlanta.

“Congrats @freddiefreeman. Not many people deserve it more than this guy. Loves the game. Plays every day. And most of all he’s a great dad! Love ya brotha!!”

It seemed like all season, the Braves were never really that dominant of a team. They were still a good ball club, with Freddie Freeman, Dansby Swanson, Ozzie Albies, and Ronald Acuna leading the way. But they were never really crowned as “elite”. Once Acuna went down, everyone thought the season was over for Atlanta. If the Phillies just played consistently good baseball, they would have won the division. So what was the difference-maker?

The trade deadline. Upgrading your roster mid-way through the season is one of the most important parts of the 7 month season, especially if you’re a team that still needs to get over the hump of good to elite. The trade deadline was the biggest factor and difference between the Phillies’ and Braves’ seasons, so let’s take a look at exactly what went down.

Phillies Main Trade Deadline Moves

Kyle Gibson, Ian Kennedy, Hans Crouse, Freddy Galvis

Branden Ogle didn’t touch the majors. Kyle Gibson was a mostly solid fourth starter for us, going 4-6 with a 5.09 ERA in 69.0 innings with the Phillies. Ian Kennedy was a very up and down closer, posting a 4.13 ERA with 7 HRs allowed in 24 IP. Hans Crouse pitched an 0-2 record with a 5.14 ERA in just two starts in the majors, spending the rest of the season in the minors. Lastly, the reuniting of Freddy Galvis, who hit .224/.292/.393 in 32 games with the Phillies, with 5 HRs and 14 RBIs.

The main point here is none of these players stood out. We knew at the time that the Phillies needed a shortstop, major pitching help, a big bat, and more. They basically did none of that, and that’s a good portion of the reason that we’ve hit our 10th season without Phillies playoff baseball.

Braves Main Trade Deadline Moves

Adam Duvall, Joc Pederson, Eddie Rosario, Jorge Soler, Richard Rodriguez

Look at that list. Let’s start off with Jorge Soler. Acquired from the Royals, Jorge Soler took home the World Series MVP last night after a fantastic six-game series. He slashed a line of .300/.391/.800 in the World Series, with 3 home runs, 6 RBIs, and 6 hits. Adam Duvall was traded from the Miami Marlins and would hit 16 HRs and 45 RBIs with the Braves in just 55 regular-season games. The video below is Jorge Soler last night, and he truly might have hit the farthest home run I have ever seen in my entire life.

Eddie Rosario would come to Atlanta from the Indians and cracked 26 hits in 33 games with a .903 OPS in the regular season with the Braves. Joc Pederson would make his way to Atlanta at the deadline as well, leaving the Chicago Cubs after just a half-season with the team. Pederson would tally 43 hits in 64 regular-season games, with 7 HRs and 22 RBIs as well. Richard Rodriguez was acquired from the Pirates and pitched a 3.12 ERA in 27 appearances in the regular season.

Everybody around the league has been praising the Braves’ trade deadline moves as of recent after some of their moves had the biggest impact on their World Series title. But if you’re a Phillies fan, you knew this was going to be the issue from the minute 4:00 PM hit on July 30th.

The Phillies have a lot of work to do if they want to sniff the playoffs next season, and show their fans that they care about winning. Bryce Harper deserves better, the fans deserve better, and the city of Philadelphia deserves better. There’s a lot of important dates coming up for the Phillies now that it is officially the offseason. Check them out here.

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Mandatory Credit: USA Today Sports