hadn't foolishly fired Dave Dombrowski in 2019, he might not have found his way to the Phillies the following year. Dombrowski has quickly turned things around in Philadelphia after becoming their president of baseball operations in late 2020, assembling a team that reached the World Series in 2022 and hashas been a big reason for their success this year.
While both were prospects at the time, the Phillies clearly got the better end of this deal. Mead didn't debut until 2023 and has played sparingly for Tampa Bay, batting a paltry .235/.297/.312 with 0.1 WAR and more strikeouts than hits in 50 games over parts of two seasons. While it's still early in his career, he already looks like a bust.and one of the best pitchers in the National League.
Alvarado promptly rebounded with the Phillies and has been a mainstay in their bullpen for the last three and a half seasons, logging 29 saves and a 3.16 ERA in 182 innings. He's been worth 2.8 WAR for Philadelphia -- twice what he was worth for his old team -- while the player the Rays received from the Dodgers has yet to appear in a major league game.