Carlos Santana, J.P. Crawford Say Goodbye to Philadelphia in Classy Fashion

On paper, general manager Matt Klentak and the Phillies did very well by trading Carlos Santana and J.P. Crawford for All-Star shortstop Jean Segura and two relief pitchers.

Neither the 23-year-old Crawford nor Santana, signed to a three-year, $60 million deal last December, performed to expectations in their time as Phillies.

Give both guys credit, though, for going out the right way.

In an Instagram post, Crawford thanked the Phillies organization and Phillies fans for "the inspiration to work as hard as I do, day in and day out."

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I’d like to take a moment to thank Mr. Middleton, Matt Klentak, Gabe Kapler, the Entire Phillies organization, and most importantly, the Philly fans for giving me the opportunity to play for you. From my first introduction at the 76ers game to the last out of our final game, your passion for Philadelphia sports energized and motivated me to give you my best. It was a tough decision for me and my family to leave a winning team in Cleveland but I believed in our chances to build a winner in Philly. Although I was disappointed that we fell short as a team, I am more disappointed to no longer be a part of the Phillies path to a championship. Moving forward i look forward to contributing to winning baseball and, who knows, hopefully I’ll play against you Phillies fans in the World Series! Thank you Philly! Until we meet again, best wishes from me and my family.
A post shared by carlos santana (@slamtana_41) on Dec 4, 2018 at 4:06pm PST

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Santana, who chose the Phillies in free agency after spending the first eight seasons of his career with the Cleveland Indians, was especially complimentary of the fans in an Instagram post, saying that "your passion for Philadelphia sports energized me and motivated me to do my best."

He even said "hopefully I'll play against you Phillies fans in the World Series!" That seems rather far-fetched given the Mariners' rebuilding approach, but you never know.