Who stays and who goes with the Phillies this trade deadline?

MLB players are probably used to getting news that they won’t be with a team when it comes to trade deadline time, but often they are the last to know. Rumors fly all the time but for most players, they just try to get their job done on the diamond and let the rest sort out itself.

The Phillies trade deadline could be interesting this year. We may see some players traded to other teams, and some players acquired by the Phils.

Certain players names are coming up more than others recently. Jonathan Papelbon is one name that keeps coming up in trade deal rumors. We’ll have to wait till any deal is done though because right now that is all it is, speculation.

If the Phillies traded a pitcher like Papelbon, they would have to have someone in to take his place. Right now, there is no one on the Phillies roster that would be able to be the closer. Lately, Charlie Manuel has been using Antonio Bastardo an awful lot in a late innings pitching role. Could the Phillies brass possibly think he could handle the role? Hopefully not, because the results probably wouldn’t be that good.

A pitcher that seems to be making his way to the club is Carlos Zambrano, and that isn’t too good either. Zambrano has been trouble for every team that he’s played for, and isn’t a solution to what the Phillies need right now. Trading any current starter for a replacement in Zambrano would be a mistake, perhaps inserting him into the lineup for one of the two Phillies younger pitchers may be ok for the moment. Hamels and Lee should be players that are untouchable.  I don’t think you go out and trade your best pitcher as of now on the staff and that is Cliff Lee.

What the Phillies need in player staff is the same as they needed at the end of last year. A couple of solid fielders that can hit, they found one for the moment in Domonic Brown, but anyone else is tenuous.

The other need is relief pitching, the Phillies relievers haven’t been good at all.  You could start there and completely revamp it, with some changes it may become better.

Aging veterans with big salaries could be hard to find a willing team, the Phillies seem to have plenty of that catagory on the team now.

We’ll have a month speculation to go, so it could be a worrisome time for the players who may be on their way out. Or if they look at it in another light, it may be the best thing that will happen to them this season.

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