The Phillies took another stop closer to being "sellers" last night, looking fairly lifeless in a 4-1 loss to open a key road trip in St. Louis.
Chase Utley seems to be at the top of the possible shopping list. Utley offered a punctuation mark on his value last night by banging out three hits and raising his batting average to .286.
GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has just about a week to decide if the Phillies are going to be "buyers" or "sellers" at the trade deadline. Any more performances like last night might make it an easier decision, both for the team and for Utley.
This team is not going anywhere. It is fatally flawed, with gaping holes in both their bullpen and outfield.
They owe closer Jonathan Papelbon another $26 million, along with another $13 million in a vesting option for 2016.
A team struggling to keep its head over the .500 mark does not need a $26 million closer, especially not one who has developed velocity problems, as Papelbon has the past few weeks.
But they do need a second baseman. And it will not make Amaro's job any easier that Utley just happens to be very likely the most popular player on the team.
Still, these two guys likely represent their best bet when it comes to acquiring the kind of prospects they so desperately need to rebuild this squad.
Columnist Jack McCaffery weighs in on the decision here.
This team is not likely to make the playoffs with Utley. Moving him might improve their chances in years to come.
And that's a fact, Jack.
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