Philadelphia Phillies: 10 Bad Moves We're Glad the Phillies Didn't Make

Hindsight is supposedly 20/20. However, luckily for Philadelphia Phillies fans, there doesn't seem to be a lot of regret regarding the trade deadline.

The blockbuster trade involving Hunter Pence was enough to make quite a few people happy. Some people say the price was too high, but that is not what this article is about.

The Phillies always have a lot of rumors swirling around. There were a lot of moves that the Phillies could have potentially made.

However, here are the 10 moves that the Phillies would have regretted if they had swung them.

BJ Upton, Tampa Bay Rays

If the Phillies would have traded for Upton, they would have a hitter who is only batting .246 in August with one home run.

This is not exactly the protection in the lineup for Ryan Howard that the Phillies were looking for.

Plus, even though the price tag would not have been as high as it was for Hunter Pence, it still would have been relatively high for much less production right now.

Carlos Quentin, Chicago White Sox

He is doing better than Upton because he has hit four home runs with 15 RBI. He would be producing some runs for the Phillies, which would be greatly appreciated.

But again, a low .226 average in August would not have been helpful.

I think that he would have been a better fit for the Phillies lineup than Upton would've been, but at the same time, the Phillies would not have acquired Pence.

Again, in hindsight we can definitely tell that at least so far they have made the right move.

Carlos Beltran, New York Mets (now San Francisco Giants)

The Mets wanted a lot for Beltran in terms of prospects. That would've been the biggest problem with this trade: The Phillies would have been trading prospects within the division.

I know that the Phillies are in a "win-now" mindset, but at the same time, they were right not to help equip the Mets for the future.

Heath Bell, San Diego Padres

I am not going to pretend that the Phillies bullpen has been amazing the past few days. They are pretty cold right now.

However, Bell has not been himself in August, with a 4.15 ERA and a WHIP elevated to 1.62.

Perhaps, like with the Phillies bullpen, this is just a small cold stretch.

However, the Phillies do not need one more cold pitcher. When you acquire a rental player for only a short period of time, the almost one entire month of that time that he has been cold is significant.

Leo Nunez, Florida Marlins

With an ERA of 9.00 in August, he has been less than stellar. His performance is obviously the biggest problem here.

The Phillies would have been trading prospects in the division, just like with Beltran, but they would not have been as high impact, most likely.

Another cold arm in the bullpen is definitely not what the Phillies need right now.

Ryan Ludwick, San Diego Padres (now Pittsburgh Pirates)

I know that he probably would have come packaged in a deal with Bell or Mike Adams.

However, the Phillies would've traded for him because they wanted a powerful right-handed bat off the bench. In 61 at-bats in August so far, he has not hit a home run yet.

Also, his contract probably would have put the Phillies over the luxury tax. The problem with that is that they would have done it for a player who hasn't been doing a lot this month.

Josh Willingham, Oakland A's

He has seven home runs, which is pretty impressive. He could have brought some nice power in the middle of the lineup.

However, if the Phillies would have traded for him, then they would not have Hunter Pence.

I know that I use this as I reason a lot, but the combination of Pence and Mayberry or Ibanez in left field is more productive than a combination of Willingham and Ibanez in left with Domonic Brown in right.

Jeff Baker, Chicago Cubs

He was thought of as perhaps a backup for the oft-injured Placido Polanco.

In August he is only hitting .235 with one RBI in very limited playing time. Granted, this is better than Michael Martinez, but he really was not worth trading for.

He would not have fit into the Phillies future plans and would have only provided a limited improvement in the present.

Trading Domonic Brown

I know that I just said that he would not have been as productive as Hunter Pence. I believe that entirely.

I also believe that in the future Brown is going to be a pretty amazing player. There were moments this season in which he showed his potential.

This being said, it would have been a terrible move to trade him as he is probably the brightest prospect the Phillies have right now.

The Phillies were smart to avoid this one.

Doing Nothing

Okay, I know that this isn't technically a move. However, the Phillies were in first place and probably could have been complacent. If they would not have made a move, they probably would have been okay and probably would have made the playoffs relatively easily.

However, making a move reinforced the fact that the Phillies are always trying to improve. They reinforced a potentially weak area and made a stronger team.