Phillies rumors: Club believes Andres Blanco ‘could be a trade piece’

By: Tim Kelly, Managing Editor

One week after suggesting that the Philadelphia Phillies would 'listen' on offers for shortstop Freddy Galvis, Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball wrote Thursday that Phillies' brass believes utility-man Andres Blanco is likely draw trade interest prior to the August 1 non-waiver trade deadline. 

Phillies people believe Andres Blanco could be a trade piece.

Blanco, 32, is batting .256 with 12 RBIs in 2016, one season after posting a 1.5 WAR (per Fangraphs). Affectionately nicknamed "Whitey" because of being one of the few veteran presences on a young team, Blanco has emerged as one of the leaders in the Phillies clubhouse over the past year. 

All of the positives taken into account, Blanco is a free-agent at the end of this season. The Phillies could re-sign Blanco, though as J.P. Crawford eventually takes over as the team's starting shortstop, some combination of Galvis and Cesar Hernandez will be pushed to the bench, making it hard to envision Blanco having a long-term future with the team. 

As noted in the latest edition of "Phillies nuggets," Blanco figures to draw quite a bit of interest if the Phillies make him available, because he can play multiple infield positions, has established himself as a positive clubhouse presence and won't cost much in terms of prospects or financial commitment.