The organization made its first move leading up to the MLB trade deadline, sending All-Star reliever, Pat Neshek, to the Colorado Rockies for three prospects, one of which – shortstop Jose Gomez – was the No. 21 prospect in Colorado according to MLBPipeline.com.
It was the most obvious move the team could make considering Neshek’s value and the role he could play on a contending team. That’s why it was the first trade to be made, and it’s why it likely could be the only move made between now and the July 31 deadline.
The Phillies aren’t lacking potential pieces to be moved. There’s Howie Kendrick, Daniel Nava and Jeremy Hellickson and among the bigger, though unlikely, names, there’s Maikel Franco and Odubel Herrera. The latter two are likely standing pat, and the resurgence of Tommy Joseph, who had been rumored to be a potential trade chip, may have bought him some more time.
That leaves three guys who likely could be maneuvered if the Phillies so choose to. Following the Neshek trade, general manager Matt Klentak said he has received calls on a few other players, and that he and his team will be “working as hard as we can to see what’s out there.”
The only problem, though, is that the trade value – unlike that of Neshek’s – has plummeted for those three players. Kendrick and Nava have played well but trips to the disabled list certainly don’t bode well in discussions. Nava was just placed on the 10-day disabled list after Aaron Altherr was activated on Wednesday.
Kendrick will likely still have some interest around the league, despite his injury woes. He’s batting .340 with 16 RBI and 11 extra-base hits in 141 at-bats. Since returning last week, Kendrick is hitting .267 in six games.
As for Hellickson, he entered the season along with Clay Bucholz, as the team’s best bargaining chip. He went 12-10 with a 3.71 ERA last season, but has struggled this year, going 6-5 with an inflated ERA of 4.73. In the month of July, his ERA in four starts is 6.04.
In other words, the Phillies remaining assets aren’t as attractive as they had hoped. Outside of the Neshek deal, there may not be another move made, especially one that nets anything of value. The only real way this organization can make a splash is parting ways with a big name, whether it be Franco or Joseph.
That, though, doesn’t seem to be in the books. Perhaps this will be a quiet deadline after all.
