So the trade deadline came and went Wednesday and the Phillies big move was talking about extending Chase Utley’s contract. Just talking about it though, the Phillies were determined not to make any news Wednesday. I really want to be pissed about this but there were very few trades made league wide. Johns Stolnis from That Ball’s Outta Here wrote a good article about how Ruben needed cooperation to get a trade done. He basically argued that Ruben had to work with other GM’s that were being stingy while trying to deal older veterans unwilling to wave their no-trade clauses. You should read it. It’s a good article but it’s so god damn level headed and I was really hoping to agree with something a little more irrational.
Look, I get it you can’t just make a trade for the sake of getting any deal done. The price has to be right. If you are going to trade Cliff Lee you need a close to major league ready prospect to be part of the deal in return. Lee is a clear cut number one starter with a lot of post season experience. Plus he is under contract for another two years after this season. So Amaro was right to ask for a ton of prospects. The bottom line is Cliff Lee was going to be a tough player to move. Still, there is something bugging me though.
I guess I just don’t understand in a year you had so many pieces to spare with so many needs how did nothing get done? There was Lee, Utley, Rollins, Papelbon, Young and Chooch that were all speculative trade pieces and no one was moved. Not one?! This team desperately needs another bat maybe two and bullpen help. But I don’t see where that will come from now. Free agency is kind of barren this year, the young arms in the bullpen haven’t been able to figure it out, and who knows if any of the of minor leaguers will be ready next season. We will have to see what Asche can do the last half of the season before we can declare him the everyday third baseman on this team next year.
So basically add Dom Brown back into the lineup and if you like what you see then good because that’s the product you will most likely be getting for the next two years. If you are like me and don’t like what you see then start preparing yourself for the “if”game again. If Chase’s knees hold up, if Ryan Howard is healthy, if Jimmy and Cole have bounce back years, if Cody Asche is next years Manny Machado, if if if if if if…. It’s going to take a lot of “ifs” to come to fruition for this team to compete in the near future.
Excitement about the Phillies is dwindling every year. The reason being is that the team has been the same for the past two seasons and it starting to look like it will be for the next two as well. Everyone is excited about the Eagles and Sixers this year and it isn’t because people think they’ll be good. It’s because they’ll be something new and people can see the new direction. Phillies have lost their rudder and are spinning in circles. Fans can’t see what direction this team is heading. It has people asking “Now what Rube?”.
