Wednesday marked five years since the Phillies acquired Cristopher Sánchez in a trade with the Rays. It also marked the first time the left-hander finished in the top 10 of NL Cy Young Award voting, capping off one heck of a year.
Receiving two fifth-place votes like Sánchez did doesn’t sound like much of an accomplishment. But for someone with his past, it is. It wasn’t too long ago when it looked like the Phillies “lost” their trade with the Rays. The player they sent to Tampa, Curtis Mead, turned into a top-100 prospect during his time in the Rays’ minor-league system.