Time To Sell

Going into the weekend series against the Braves, the Phillies had an excellent opportunity to make up some ground. Unfortunately, during the first two games of the series, the Phillies managed to score just 2 total runs digging an even deeper hole for themselves in the standings.

 Now any chance at making the playoffs is extremely unlikely. The Phils are 15.5 games behind the Nationals, and they now trail the Braves by 11.5 games.

Although I really hate to admit it, I think it's now time for the Phillies to sell sell sell. Interest in Shane Victorino is heating up, as is interest in Juan Pierre. Joe Blanton's trade value also went up after his solid outing against the Braves last night.  And the Phillies also have to start thinking about the possibility of moving Hunter Pence to free up room on the 2013 payroll.

As much as I would love for Ruben to pull the trigger on some much needed trades, I feel like he is going to wait until the absolute last second to do so.  The Phillies still have 2 games between now and the trade deadline, and I feel as though if any deal does come through, it's going to come at the very last minute.

In my opinion, even if the Phillies do win their next two games, they don't deserve to keep the team in tact and go for a run.  In arguably the two most important games of the year, the Phillies' offense managed a total of just 2 runs.  They squandered a great outing from Joe Blanton last night, and overall I think the Phillies need to just bite the bullet this year and be sellers at the deadline.

Think about it from this perspective: for the past five years the Phillies have enjoyed a dazzling record of success.  They have won the N.L. East five consecutive years, and have been to the World Series twice, winning in 2008.  A down year of missing the playoffs isn't going to kill the Phillies or the immense amount of support from this fan base.  If the Phillies do end up selling at the deadline and missing the playoffs, the fans are still going to pack the stadium next year because the fans know that this front office is completely committed to winning.

Being completely committed to winning doesn't always mean that you go out at the trade deadline and acquire the number one player.  Sometimes it means trading away your own top talent to build a better future for your team.

I think Ruben Amaro has some serious thinking to do in these next few days.  After the 2009 season, Ruben proved that he has the ability to prepare for the future when he traded away top talent Cliff Lee for minor league prospects.  Although Ruben has been a buyer at the deadline for the past few years, I think it's time to be a seller for at least one year regardless of the outcomes of the next two games.