By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Perhaps the most discussed report pertaining to the Philadelphia Phillies that was published during the recently concluded MLB Winter Meetings came from Jim Salisbury of Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia. In the report, Salisbury suggested that if the Detroit Tigers traded Ian Kinsler, that would create a chain-reaction, where the Tigers would need a second baseman and could potentially set up a deal where Cesar Hernandez would be sent to Detroit in a deal that would bring outfielder J.D. Martinez to the Phillies.
However, the Winter Meetings are now over, and Kinsler wasn't traded, which seemed to be necessary for a Hernandez to Detroit deal to make sense. The offseason is still relatively young, but MLB.com's Todd Zolecki says that a Hernandez for Martinez trade is unlikely, as is any trade where the Phillies move Hernandez for a rental:
It is why it is highly improbable the club will trade second baseman Cesar Hernandez, who will not be eligible for free agency until after the 2020 season, for a one-year rental like outfielder J.D. Martinez.
The idea of a fairly major trade being completed that seemed contingent on another fairly major trade being completed seemed — dare I say– fairly unlikely from the beginning. The thinking behind making a trade like that would have been potentially selling high on Hernandez, who some believe peaked in 2016, while picking up Martinez, who general manager Matt Klentak could potentially flip at the league's non-waiver deadline.
Manager Pete Mackanin, who spoke to the collective media Tuesday, spoke highly of Hernandez's strong second half and said he expects him to be the Opening Day starting second baseman:
Pete Mackanin says, when asked, he would be very surprised if Cesar Hernandez isn't the team's Opening Day second baseman.
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) December 6, 2016
Hernandez slashed .294/.371/.393 in 2016, while swiping 17 bases and posting a 4.4 WAR in 2016, his first full season as the team's starting second baseman.
The 26-year-old is, as Zolecki put it, under team control through 2020, though the Phillies middle infield figures to get crowded over the next few seasons. Top prospect J.P. Crawford figures to make his major league debut in 2016, which may push current shortstop Freddy Galvis into competing for time at second base. The team also has two second base prospects in Scott Kingery and Jesmuel Valentin, who figure to reach the majors in the next year or so.
