Please sell, Ruben!

2013-07-27

The 2013 trade deadline is almost here. As I write this, the Phillies have lost 6 straight, putting them at 49-54. So here’s what I have to say to Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr.

Can we accept that this team is not going to the playoffs this year? I think it’s time for the Phils to start taking steps to improve the 2014-16 version of the team. (After that, we’re looking at life without Cliff Lee.)

First of all, just put Delmon Young on the block for whatever he’ll bring back. He has bounced back to a respectable level of production this year, enough that a team acquiring him would get some positive PR from it. And there is absolutely no way he contributes significantly to the Phils in 2014, other than by being used as a trade chip now. I know the injury to Ben Revere makes outfield depth an issue, but whatever. If you can’t get something decent for Delmon, he can continue to do what he’s doing. At least he’s not too expensive. (But don’t forget the value of giving a possible future starter – Collier, Gillies, Ruf? more reps in the outfield instead.)

And speaking of guys named Young, Michael Young might bring something back too. You can sell him as a veteran leader, a clubhouse presence.

I would say that if it weren’t for his being one of the faces of the franchise, Chase Utley ought to be traded. And a good offer for him probably ought to be accepted. However, I can understand that this would be an unpopular move with the fans.

The market for Jonathan Papelbon should also be explored. I don’t know if the Tigers have anything to give for him, but they really need a closer, don’t they? And since the Phils are not making the playoffs with Cinco Ocho around, they can not make the playoffs without him, too.

And finally, there’s the single best chip you have, and that’s Cliff Lee. But it’s really a brave new world if you trade him, and brave new worlds aren’t what the Phils are about these days, are they?

Keys: baseball,Phillies

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