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It’s more likely that not you won’t have to be glued to Twitter or check MLB Trade Rumors every 30 seconds like a mental patient with obsessive compulsive disorder at this year’s MLB Trade Deadline.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Atlanta Braves, Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said this year will be a lot different than last year, when the Phillies shipped Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon, Ben Revere and Chase Utley out of town.
Klentak also said he's not sure #Phillies will be "super active" at the trade deadline.
— Stephen Gross (@SteveGrossMCall) July 5, 2016
Last week, I speculated as much, mainly because the pieces the Phils have to move this summer don’t have the upside as the ones that left town last summer.
Jeremy Hellickson is having a nice year, but he’s not going to get the Phillies much more than Bud Norris got the Braves, which wasn’t a lot. The Phils will have to ask themselves if it’s even worth it at that point, given the innings limits they plan to put on some of their younger pitchers.
Even if Peter Bourjos and Cody Asche continue to rake, it’s doubtful either will bring much in return. They’re only bench players on a good team. And none of the relievers, Jeanmar Gomez included, are anything more than a 6th or 7th inning guy and would be trying to find elbow room in a flooded reliever market.
Of course, the phrase "super active" is open to interpretation. Perhaps the Phillies get offered something useful and they make a move for someone. But it certainly doesn’t sound as if the team is gearing up for a busy month of July.