CBSSports.com Insider Danny Knobler has provided a glimpse inside the struggling Phillies, and while the Phils are determined to get better, the possibility remains that they'll run up the white flag in advance of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
Is it crazy to suggest that a team that won 102 games a season ago could be deadline peddlers? Perhaps, but, as Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports, GM Ruben Amaro says things could play out in just such a manner. “July is so far ahead,” Amaro said. “We just have to get on track. But if July comes and we’re playing like this, we’ll be sellers. How we play now will determine whether we’ll be buyers or sellers in July.”
In terms of payroll, the Phillies, coming in at just shy of $174 million, trail only the Yankees, so their present failures aren't coming cheap. If things don't improve, then Amaro could find himself under orders to shed some of that payroll. Does this mean that, say, Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino could be dangled at the deadline? While this is pure speculation, Hamels and Victorino are both pending free agents, and both would figure to net a healthy return.
From the Phillies' standpoint, the hope is that the miserable offense improves once Ryan Howard and Chase Utley return, but that's a lot to expect from two players coming off injury and already showing patterns of decline. Manager Charlie Manuel could certainly do a better job of handling the suspect bullpen (closer Jonathan Papelbon ranks an inexcusable fifth among Philly relievers in average leverage index), but even all that might not be enough to distinguish them in what's a fairly brutal division.
Taking the longer view, CoolStandings.com right now gives the Phillies a 28.1% chance of making the postseason, which isn't all that bad considering their place in the standings. The good news is that they'll play their next 10 games against teams with losing records, which presents an ideal opportunity to reverse course.
If nothing comes of that, though, then Amaro may indeed be forced to pawn off his wares in the second half.