What if...the Cardinals had refused to trade Steve Carlton to the Phillies?
The background: After the 1971 season, the Phillies traded Rick Wise to the St. Louis Cardinals for Steve Carlton. Carlton did have better career numbers at the time, but it seemed like a fair trade for both sides. Wise was 75-76 with a 3.60 ERA in a Phillies uniform, while Carlton was 77-62 with a 3.10 ERA in his Cardinals career.
The impact: Wise was gone from the Cardinals by 1974. Meanwhile Carlton won 241 games with the Phillies, along with Cy Young Awards in 1972, 1977, 1980 and 1982. In the 10 seasons after the trade, the Phillies won four National League Eastern Division titles, while the Cardinals did not win any. Could the Phillies have held off the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1976, 1977 and 1978 without Lefty? Is there a 1980 World Series banner in Citizens' Bank Park today if Carlton had not called Veterans Stadium home? Unlikely.
What-if rating: 7/10
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What would the Phillies have been like in throughout the 70s without their left-handed stalwart? Tell us what you think in the comment section below.