The Phillies are at least two years into an era in which they should be rebuilding but apparently don’t feel the need to do so: the 2014 non-waiver trade deadline has passed and they made no deals. Not a one.
This despite having numerous pieces that other teams could probably use. Maybe Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels were pipe dream deals -- Hamels is sticking around and should and Lee is more of a waiver deal guy -- but Marlon Byrd, Antonio Bastardo and A.J. Burnett were all marketable. No, they may not have gotten a huge return, but they are not part of the future so moving them, even in minor deals, would’ve made sense. Ruben Amaro didn’t think so.
OK, he thought so. He just didn’t like the offers he was getting:Amaro said Phillies did not ask for “top prospects.” Criticized other GMs for not being aggressive enough.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) July 31, 2014
Amaro called Marlon Byrd “one of the most productive righthanded bats in the game.” He was surprised no team stepped up.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) July 31, 2014
Well, OK. But if the rest of baseball doesn’t value what you have the way you do, maybe you’re the one overstating the value of what you have? Wouldn’t be the first time Amaro has done this.
Anyway, like they say: if it ain’t broke, oh, wait. Never mind.