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Inbox: Will Phillies be buyers at Deadline?
- Updated: May 26, 2016
If the Phillies continue to win, will they be buyers before the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline? — Corey K., Media, Pa.
How many people thought this question would be asked in May? Not many, I assume. The Phillies are one of baseball’s best stories this season, but let’s let things play out. Only 14 teams in the past 10 seasons have finished .500 or better despite being outscored. The 2009 Mariners were the most fortunate of the bunch, finishing 85-77 despite a -52 run differential. (Only four teams in baseball history have made the postseason despite being outscored.) The Phils are on pace to be outscored by 107 runs, so the odds are not in their favor.
But OK, let’s say the Phillies keep winning close games and defy the odds. I can see them buying before the Trade Deadline, but not in the way they have in the past when they acquired Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence. Those teams were going for the kill, sacrificing top young talent for the final piece to push them over the top. The 2016 Phillies are not a piece away, and they are still very much geared toward the future. For that reason, if the Phils acquire talent, they will not sacrifice one of their top prospects in the process.
No, I think something more likely will be …
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