The Pros and Cons of Phillies’ Trading

With five veterans to swap, Klentak has his priorities, and the so-called placeholders are secondary: alternatives needing a tempting proposal. On the other hand, dealing a catcher doesn’t work because the job is still up for grabs, and the infield either has a producer or no replacement. And while the outfield looks better than last year, two have claimed spots without cementing them.

If you review the first-half stars in the pipeline like Rhys Hoskins, you may feel he’s ready for the majors now, but Tommy Joseph is blocking him at first base. Meanwhile, Cozens would have no difficulty finding playing time in right field and hitting between Maikel Franco and Joseph. As for Scott Kingery, the second sacker must prove he can handle Triple-A pitching for more than 16 games and 64 at-bats. And lastly, because receiver Jorge Alfaro hasn’t stood out since April, Andrew Knapp is getting a shot behind the plate.

Between rallies at the Bank by either team, two fans discussed their expectations. One remembered a sports column where the scribe had stated fans are just being fans: They get up or down by the current play of their hometown nine. Yeah, he said we see the Phillies’ moves based on what the regular’s overall numbers are, but execs also have interest in their current performance.

As the innings passed by comfortably, one mentioned “Uncle Charlie” Manuel’s belief that the game is 40 percent luck. Yeah, and that writer pointed out how it applies to signing free agents and making trades too. He had wondered in his article – the fan continued – how Klentak can bring in six players and the faithful expect every one to be successful. But the GM – his friend stated – has no way of knowing if a player will be healthy, which is why Klentak expects half will work out and not suffer an injury or be ineffective.