MLB Trade Deadline 2012: Post-Deadline Expectations for Philadelphia Phillies

The MLB trade deadline has come and gone, and the Philadelphia Phillies are already looking toward 2013.

After buying big in recent years, Ruben Amaro Jr. and the Phillies were forced to sell this summer. That’s the cost of doing business when your $173 million roster sits in last place in the NL East with a 45-57 record.

Going into the last two months of the regular season, the Phillies have many more questions than answers. With some familiar faces out the door and the organization searching for some signs of life moving forward, there is much to watch in Philadelphia even if the playoffs are out of the picture.

As the Phillies prepare for next season, here are the team’s expectations for the remainder of 2012.

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10 Prospects the Phillies Will Be Very Happy Not to Have Traded at the Deadline

Recent non-waiver trade deadline deals by the Philadelphia Phillies have consisted of a big name acquisition coming to the team in exchange for multiple prospects, including some that were considered to be among the best in the Phils minor league system.

Yesterday’s trade deadline deals, however, were certainly a break from what had become typical mid-season trades for the Phillies.

Rather than sending three or four prospects in exchange for an addition to the starting rotation or a missing lineup piece, the Phils were on the other end of big moves.

Acquiring minor league talent may help the Phillies long-term, but what could help the team more is their decision not to trade any of their current prospects in another mid-season trade.

Whether they provide optimism for the team’s chances in future seasons, or whether they become trade chips in offseason deals, the Phils’ prospects can have a large role with the team going forward.

Here are 10 prospects the Phillies will be very happy not to have traded at the deadline.

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Why Trading Hunter Pence Was Phillies’ Biggest Mistake at the Deadline

A little before 2:30pm on July 31st, the Philadelphia Phillies traded right fielder Hunter Pence to the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Nate Schierholtz, minor league catcher Tommy Joseph and minor league right-handed pitcher Seth Rosin.

This deal went down shortly after the Phillies had already traded center fielder Shane Victorino to the Los Angeles Dodgers for reliever Josh Lindblom and pitching prospect Ethan Martin.

With Victorino and Pence gone, the Phillies’ outfield now consists of Juan Pierre, John Mayberry, Domonic Brown, Nate Schierholtz and Laynce Nix; a clear sign that the Phillies have officially quit on this season.

When the Phillies acquired Hunter Pence from the Houston Astros last year, he made an immediate impact and quickly became a fan favorite.  “Good Game, Let’s Go Eat” shirts flew off the shelves and number three jerseys and t-shirts filled the stands at Citizens Bank Park.

Now, just over one year later, Pence is changing teams once again.

Pence is eligible for arbitration next year, which is why the Phillies felt the need to deal him; they’ve decided to save some money.  But in doing so, they’ve traded away their best hitter.

2012 has been a down year for Pence.  But, when a player’s down year consists of a .271 average, 17 home runs and 59 RBI, then maybe he’s a guy who is worth keeping.

Pence is a career .290 hitter, and he hit .324 in 54 games with the Phillies in 2011.   

Carlos Ruiz has been the best hitter for Philadelphia this year, but how likely is it that the 33-year old catcher will replicate these numbers in 2013?  

 

As for the other Phillies offensive players, Ryan Howard is a career .274 hitter who hasn’t hit over .280 since 2006.  He is the guy who drives in the runs for Philadelphia, but the team needs someone to get on base. That player is now gone.

Now that the Phillies have freed up all of this money, what are they going to do with it?

Anything less than a huge free agent signing or two would be unacceptable.

Philadelphia is a city that has grown accustomed to winning, and another year like this one will cause a rebellion.

With the team as it is, the offense isn’t good enough to get them into the playoffs in 2013.  Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins aren’t the hitters they used to be. Ruiz will not have another season like this one, and the outfield—as mentioned before—is nowhere near playoff caliber.

The 2013 free agent class isn’t deep, but it has some names that would make the Phillies contenders next year.

Obviously, Josh Hamilton is the biggest name on the market, but don’t expect to see him in red pinstripes next year.

26-year old Delmon Young will be a free agent, and he can hit. But his attitude problems have been well documented.

Cody Ross and Nick Swisher will both be free agents, but Ross isn’t great and Swisher would just be another low-average long-ball hitter.

Center field is where the Phillies will have the most luck in the offseason, as former Phillie Michael Bourn is a free agent. Melky Cabrera and BJ Upton, who are both solid, young players would also be great additions to the Phillies.

Right now, Philadelphia is a city in panic mode and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the sellout streak at Citizens Bank Park comes to an end by the end of the year. After all, Ruben Amaro Jr. just traded away one of the last reasons for Phillies for fans to come to the ballpark for the last two months of the season.

 

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Philadelphia Phillies: Grading Each of Their Moves at the MLB Trade Deadline

Until the final day before the trade deadline, nobody really knew if the Philadelphia Phillies were going to be buyers or sellers.

On one hand, the Phillies have become a very proud franchise that definitely did not want to admit defeat, but on the other hand, they were looking defeat right in the face for most of this season.

As you definitely know by now, the Phillies did make a lot of big decisions, but did they make good deals? That is what we’re going to look at right now.

I am giving “at the trade deadline” a very loose definition, meaning during July.

The only reason I am doing that is because those moves were inevitable anyway, but the right package came along before the actual deadline.

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