The Philadelphia Phillies were away from home the entire final week of July as the Democratic National Convention took place across the street from their home park.
The Phillies finished the week at 3-4 against a pair of NL East rivals, splitting their four game set against the Atlanta Braves after dropping two of three against the surging Miami Marlins.
The biggest story as the week ended was that the Phillies had done nothing as the MLB non-waiver trade deadline was approaching.
Rumors were swirling that Vincent Velasquez might be headed to Texas or that Jeremy Hellickson was destined to join the Marlins, but the team was not able to land the prospects they were looking for and ultimately decided not to make a move.
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There is still a chance the Phillies could move some players, most likely aging veterans such as Carlos Ruiz or Ryan Howard, or players such as Peter Bourjos or Andres Blanco, before the August 31st waiver trade deadline.
While it might be disappointing to some fans that the Phillies did not pull of a big trade, holding on to Hellickson might pay off in the long run.
The Phillies will likely extend Hellickson a qualifying offer at the end of the year, and if he turns it down the Phils would be rewarded with a compensation pick in the 2017 MLB Amateur Draft. If he accepts, he returns as a veteran to lead a young staff one more time next season.
Let’s take a look at who was surging and who was struggling for the Fightin’ Phils over this past week as the long road trip rolled to an end.
Next: PHILLIES SURGING BATS