By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Less than five weeks remain until the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Transactions, or lack thereof, of Philadelphia Phillies Vice President and General Manager Matt Klentak to improve the club until then will surely remain under close scrutiny.
Wednesday morning on SportsRadio 94 WIP's Angelo Cataldi And The Morning Team show, Phillies manager Gabe Kapler called Klentak an excellent "evaluator" and "dealmaker," and that he trusts "that's what's happening right now."
Read: Klentak: Phillies Will Do ‘Everything’ It Can to Improve in Ways That ‘Make Sense'
"I believe this … Matt is looking under every stone to look at various pieces that can help us," Kapler said. "Whether that be in the bullpen, in the middle of the lineup, a piece off the bench, [or] a veteran presence … those are things that Matt is looking for."
One middle-of-the-lineup, "piece off the bench," veteran presence Kapler could be referencing is 21-year veteran third baseman, Adrian Beltre. MLB.com's Jon Morosi reported on Thursday that the Phillies have expressed interest in acquiring the 39-year-old. The Phillies have also been linked to slugging infielders Manny Machado, Mike Moustakas and Josh Donaldson, all of whom also satisfy Kapler's stated characteristics.
Whomever Klentak acquires, Kapler said his job, as the manager, "is to wait for those pieces and to deploy them the best way it can help the Phillies."
"[This is very similar to the way what my job is with the younger players," Kapler said, "develop them and to put them in the best positions to succeed."
"Matt's job is to go out there and scour the earth for the best pieces, and my job is putting them in a position to succeed."
