Will the Phillies make a trade? The Phillies seem to have gotten lucky with the few offseason deals they have made. Marlon Byrd is batting .181. Jimmy Rollins is hitting .186. Antonio Bastardo has a blown save and a 4.15 ERA. Despite getting pretty lucky unloading the three players that they did, the Phillies do not seem to be in any rush to make a deal. In fact, teams must come to the Phillies.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that the Phillies are waiting for someone to come and trade for their All-Stars:
There are several teams in need of starting pitching, and the Phillies, according to one official, are “waiting with open arms” for a trade partner, be it for Cole Hamels and/or Jonathan Papelbon, or even second baseman Chase Utley, who has 10/5 status.
The 10/5 status means that Utley must approve any trade. Hamels will reach that status in May of next year.
But, the Phillies are not going to be the aggressor in any trade. If someone wants one of their players, they'll contact them, right?
What people don’t understand is nobody is holding a gun to our head to trade a player,” the GM said. “Typically, if a team wants a player, they typically will try to go get that player. If you really wanted to make a trade with the Phillies or any other club, you would be the aggressor.”
Amaro said he’s not afraid of risking injury to his trade chips.
“The reality is this: There are a lot more chances for the 29 other teams to get people hurt than the one or two guys that we have,” he said. “That’s basic math.”
But, if one of those guys who could give the Phillies a return gets hurt, then the Phillies missed their chance to do something.
The Phillies have been linked to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Boston Red Sox, and the St. Louis Cardinals over Hamels. Utley may have drawn some light interest from the Dodgers in the offseason, but they acquired Howie Kendrick to play second base. Jonathan Papelbon, despite pitching extremely well, seems to be a player other teams wish to avoid.
