Phillies Trade Rumors: Will Philadelphia Strike Out with Carlos Beltran Deal?

The Philadelphia Phillies are one of the best teams in Major League Baseball, and it looks like they aren’t satisfied with the team they built.

While there has been talk about getting help in the bullpen, the return of closer Brad Lidge and closer-in-training Ryan Madson have stopped those discussions for now. The team will forge on with the group of guys they have now, instead of moving pieces for a temporary fix.

With the bullpen situation working itself out, the fact that Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is still hunting on the trade market means the team is looking for another position.

The most likely spot is in the outfield and in the batting order because the Phillies have had a hard time managing consistent hitting for any extended stretch.

As reported before, Philadelphia has expressed interest in free-agent-to-be Carlos Beltran, but the Phillies and their Division rivals the New York Mets have yet to come close to a deal.

New York wants too much in return for a rental payer, and Yahoo! Sports MLB Insider Jeff Passan said in his column:

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The Phillies are saying right-hander Jarred Cosart, one of the stars of the Futures Game, is unavailable in a deal, especially for a two-month rental that, per Beltran’s contract, cannot include compensatory draft picks through an arbitration offer. Oh well. The Phillies’ position mirrors the Giants. They’ve got an all-time rotation and the pressure to win.

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For the Phillies management staff, it’s hard to watch their offense sputter, but they have to weigh how much they are going to have to give up to bring a player making over $18 million dollars this year for just over two months of service.

Paying Beltran the money he is owed is one thing, but having the New York Mets inquire about Domonic Brown and the team’s top prospects should be insulting to the Phillies.

Beltran is one of the better outfielders in the game, but he is getting older and will be an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the season. The Mets are asking Philadelphia for a top prospect for a bat that won’t be in Philly long enough to rent an apartment.

There are players like Josh Willingham out there that can add some pop, not as much as Beltran, but enough to help the team out. A player like Willingham won’t cost the Phillies half of what the Mets wanted either.

No matter what the Phillies do, I’m glad it’s their neck on the line and not mine. Philadelphia is expected to win this season, and there will be trouble if they don’t.

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