Moving on from Phillips expedites Reds' rebuild

It's never easy saying goodbye to a franchise favorite, but the Cincinnati Reds' trade of Brandon Phillips to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday is the best move for the club's future.

For the last 11 seasons, Phillips manned second base in Southwest Ohio and racked up an envious list of accomplishments in the process. Three All-Star appearances, four Gold Gloves, two division titles, and three postseason trips put the 35-year-old in the conversation as one of the best at his position in franchise history.

But the Reds of today are no longer the postseason threat that they were during a four-year run from 2010-13, and more resemble the perennial loser they were when Phillips first arrived as a 25-year-old from Cleveland in 2006.

Phillips developed into one of the faces of the franchise over the last decade, and if he has one fault, it's that he was overly loyal. As the front office tore down the club over the last several years, trading veterans Mat Latos, Alfredo Simon, Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Marlon Byrd, Todd Frazier, and Aroldis Chapman, Phillips and his no-trade clause stayed on the sinking ship - even to the franchise's inconvenience.

Parting ways with Phillips certainly didn't come easy for Walt Jocketty and Dick Williams. Over the last two years, Phillips blocked trades to Arizona and Washington, and even rejected a deal that would have sent him to Atlanta in November. Over the course of the winter, however, something changed - likely the prospect of guaranteed playing time in Atlanta - and Phillips finally signed off on the trade to send him to his native Georgia.

While some fans will no doubt be disappointed with the loss of Phillips, it allows the Reds to take a major step forward while avoiding the potential embarrassment of releasing him midway through the season. Talented 22-year-old Jose Peraza will take over as the team's primary second baseman without the cloud of Phillips hanging over him.

The two prospects received from Atlanta are likely inconsequential - Andrew McKirahan is recovering from a second Tommy John surgery and Carlos Portuondo is a 29-year-old who's never pitched above Triple-A - and the Reds are believed to be paying all but $1 million of the $14 million owed to Phillips. It's still an easy pill to swallow for a Cincinnati front office primarily motivated by the prospect of moving forward.