By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The 2016 Major League Baseball trade deadline went down as the busiest since 1995 with 18 deals being struck across the league. Despite other teams being interested in some of their assets, the Philadelphia Phillies stood pat at the deadline, hanging on to Jeremy Hellickson, who was the center of the majority of talks leading up to August 1.
While some fans may be disappointed that Matt Klentak and company could not find a good deal for Hellickson in a market that had overpaid for mid-tier starting pitching, the 29-year-old's recent success along with the veteran leadership he provides in the rotation were some of the reasons why a deal did not happen.
“We had offers out to other teams that, if accepted, we would have done,” Klentak said. “At the end of the day, there was nothing we felt made sense for the organization at this time. The reason we went out and acquired him last offseason is to provide stability to our rotation and mentor our young pitchers. I think he’s been outstanding in that role.”
The Phillies will likely give Hellickson a qualifying offer in the $16 million range. If he turns that down, they'll get a compensation pick in the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft.
With Hellickson staying put, that could mean that Jake Thompson's Major League debut will have to wait. If the Phillies were to have dealt Hellickson, Thompson seemed like the next in line for a promotion. He's 7-0 with a 1.32 ERA in his last 10 starts, allowing one run or less in eight of his last 10 and two runs or less in nine of the last 10. Overall on the season, he's 11-5 with a 2.50 ERA in 25 starts. In the month of July alone, he's 5-0 with 1.62, holding opposing hitters to a .192 average. Klentak, though, made it clear that the lack of moves at the deadline will not affect big league promotions this season.
“[The lack of trades] doesn’t set back the timeline for any promotion,” he says. “We will promote them when they’re ready. If we need to create room, we will do so. There’s a decent chance we’ll see another somewhat notable promotion of a first-time big-leaguer before the season’s up.”
In addition to Thompson, Nick Williams and J.P. Crawford are the two other prospects we could see in Philadelphia this season. Williams is hitting .286 with 11 homers and 56 RBI's while Crawford, the teams' top prospect, is hitting .262 with 17 doubles, six homers, 37 RBI's and 60 walks. In terms of pitching, David Buchanan could play himself into red pinstripes come September, when the Phillies begin cutting innings off of young starters. He went 2-9 with a 6.99 ERA last season with the Phils, but has looked stellar in Triple-A as of late, going 5-1 with a 2.66 ERA in his last 10 outings, allowing one run or less in each of his last four starts. Meanwhile, Adam Morgan is 4-0 with a 3.00 ERA since being sent to Triple-A in mid-July.
