By: Tim Kelly, Managing Editor 
Major League Baseball's non-waiver trade deadline is on August 1 in 2016, and though earlier this season it appeared that the Philadelphia Phillies would have to decide whether to buy or sell, the last month has put the Phillies into the category of sellers.
Unlike past years, the Phillies don't necessarily have one blue-chip piece to trade, though they have five lower-level pieces that still have interesting trade candidacies.
Jeanmar Gomez
The fact that Gomez is among the league-leaders in saves isn't going to fool any league executives into thinking that he's an elite closer. But he's making a measly $1.4 million in 2016 and is under team control for 2017. Even if he gets overpaid for 2017 based off what will likely be an outlier season in his career, Gomez will still make less money than other options on the trade market like Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller, and require a significantly smaller haul in terms of prospects.
The other interesting part about Gomez is that while he may not be a long-term answer at the closer position, he seems comfortable pitching in any role in the bullpen. So Gomez could join a contender as their closer, but he probably wouldn't have any issue joining a contender and pitching in a set-up role. Or he could serve a Sergio Romo type role and close this season before being moved into another role for 2017.
Potential fits: Dodgers, Cubs, Red Sox, Nationals
Likelihood: 7/10
Freddy Galvis
Some people seemed to balk at Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball's report last week that the Phillies 'would listen' on trade offers for Galvis if anyone was interested in the 26-year-old, though I'm not sure why. No, Galvis isn't a star and he is batting below .230, but Fangraphs suggests that he's been one of the five best fielding shortstops in 2016, and his ability to play multiple positions could make him interesting to other teams.
The problem with that is his ability to play second base may ultimately allow him to upend Cesar Hernandez as the team's starting second baseman when J.P. Crawford is called up, and Crawford's call-up, though it's likely to happen at some point in 2016, doesn't appear imminent. So Galvis, who is under team control through 2018, may have more value on the Phillies, even if he ends up as just a super-utility piece the next few years, than if the Phillies got a low-level return for him.
Potential fits: Mets, Indians, Mariners
Likelihood: 2/10
Carlos Ruiz
Ruiz's average has dipped below .230, which certainly doesn't help his trade interest. That said, he's not playing much — he has less than 100 at-bats in 2016 — meaning that with more playing time, Ruiz possibly could bring his average back up. And though he's not someone who could play five games in a row anymore, he probably could play a little more than he has this season, making him an interesting trade candidate because he should be relatively fresh late in the summer.
The other interesting part about Ruiz, besides the veteran presence he could provide to a team looking to make a deep playoff run, is he seemingly could play next year. Though the Phillies are a near lock to decline the $4.5 Ruiz has for 2017, if he has a strong second half, his new team could potentially pick that option up. They also, assuming the 37-year-old wants to play in 2017, could decline the option but still attempt to re-sign Ruiz for 2017.
Potential fits: Rangers, Pirates
Likelihood: 5/10
Jeremy Hellickson
Last month, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports noted that the Phillies would 'surely jump' at the right offer for Hellickson, though with the amount of injuries they have had this season and the hope that they will keep young pitchers on innings limits in 2016, they aren't expected to force a trade.
That said, the Phillies shouldn't have to force a trade for Hellickson. Whether it comes in the form of a pre-August 1 trade or a waiver trade after the fact, Hellickson makes sense for a contender looking to add a back-end of the rotation starter. He's also less than likely to be re-signed by the Phillies, so they have incentive to move him in a trade that allows them to acquire a lower-level minor leaguer.
Potential fits: Red Sox, Royals, Tigers, Dodgers
Likelihood: 8/10
Andres Blanco
Expect Blanco, whether it is in July or August, to have plenty of suitors. He isn't a starter, but he's someone that can platoon at multiple positions for contender, and seemingly has become a leader in the Phillies clubhouse that connects very well with young Latin players.
The fact that Blanco is a leader in the team's clubhouse may make them interested in re-signing him at the end of the year, especially as J.P. Crawford, who said he was learning the most from Blanco this Spring Training, reaches the majors. The thing about Crawford coming to the big leagues is that it will force one of Freddy Galvis or Cesar Hernandez to bench, or possibly a combination of the two, making it hard to imagine keeping all three on the team beyond this year.
The Phillies, as mentioned above, could elect to move Galvis or Hernandez either this summer or prior to next season, but given that Blanco is an impending free-agent, he seems to be the best bet to be moved at some point this summer.
Potential fits: Cardinals, Mets, Indians, Giants, Mariners, White Sox
Likelihood: 7/10
The nuggets
- There's a few reasons that Hector Neris' name didn't appear on this list. First of all, it's more aesthetically pleasing to have five names on a list instead of six. Beyond that, however, Neris is under team control through 2021, and has demonstrated an ability to be a successful late-inning reliever, if not an eventual closer.
- Jeff Todd of MLB Trade Rumors thinks that David Hernandez, in addition to other members of the Phillies bullpen, has an interesting trade case. As he notes, however, Hernandez is an impending free-agent.
- I kind of figured that the Phillies would have some sort of fall-off like this, making the idea of there being a debate over whether they should buy or sell a moot point. That said, the team could have been in first place on August 1, and the best thing for them to do would have been to ride the season out. A small addition would have made sense, but nothing that would have costed them any prospect of significance would have been in their best interests.
