Philadelphia Phillies: What happens if they “sell” at the trade deadline?

48 games through the 2021 season and the Philadelphia Phillies have not looked like a good baseball team.

No matter how you slice it, this year’s collection of players, managers, coaches, and front office employees have once again failed to live up to expectations – currently sat in fourth place in the NL East despite possessing one of the highest payrolls in the sport.

There’s an argument to be made that things may get better over time, that there’s still 100+ games left to be played this season. However, if play continue along this current track, a track that has the Phillies missing out on the postseason for the 11th year in a row, you could be looking at a trade deadline which more resembles an organization getting ready for 2022, as opposed to going all-in on 2021.

So what exactly would a “selling” trade deadline look like for the Philadelphia Phillies?

First and foremost, by no means am I suggesting a proper tear-it-down style of approach to things. Guys like Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and even Zach Eflin are all still untouchable due to the importance that they present to the team’s future winning odds.

However, there’s a very genuine argument to be made that this roster needs to be flipped on its head, that Dave Dombrowski needs to be given the freedom to swap some of Matt Klentak’s guys for players that better fit what Dave is trying to build at the moment. I’m not talking about prospects, I’m talking about acquiring players under team control for multiple years, guys who can contribute past just 2021.

The trades that Dombrowski pulled off for Sam Coonrod and Jose Alvarado this past winter are good examples of such players. Neither of these two are finished products, but they’ll be around for the next few seasons, giving Dombrowski a foundation to build his bullpen on moving forward.

How the Philadelphia Phillies should approach this year’s trade deadline.

With so many holes across the organization needing to be filled this upcoming offseason, it’d probably be wise to get a jump start on the process by attacking some of them at this year’s trade deadline. Starting pitching depth, outfield depth, shortstop, and the bullpen are just a few areas that could use improving upon.

However, to get value you have to give up value, and the Phils do have a few players that could net back something worthwhile, if they end up in a “let’s just focus on 2022” position.

(Keep reading to see who I think the Phillies could potentially trade)