Phillies trade rumors: What happens after Neshek?

A motley of moves could be coming the Phillies way in the next couple of days and the Phillies trade rumors will get interesting soon

After trading reliever Pat Neshek to the Colorado Rockies for three young prospects the Phillies officially stoked the hot stove. Phillies trade rumors continue to swirl with the July 31 deadline approaching, and several players are still excepted to be moved.

The Phillies certainly don’t have as much ammunition going into the trade deadline as they expected, losing Michael Saunders, Jeanmar Gomez, and Clay Buchholz from their arsenal of assets early.

Perhaps the biggest game of the year will be Friday when Jeremy Hellickson is due to start against the Atlanta Braves. Missing on the opportunity to receive a significant haul of prospects last year the Phillies need Hellickson to have his best performance of the season.

With a 4.73 ERA and only 65 strikeouts in 112.1 innings this year Hellickson won’t command a top prospect on the trade market. Players equivalent to the three acquired for Neshek are the likely return for a middle to back end of the rotation pitcher like Hellickson.

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Look for Kansas City to push for Hellickson if his performance goes well Friday or another team that misses on Sonny Gray (Chicago, New York) to jump in as they prepare for a postseason run.

Hellickson being traded before Monday may be the closest thing to a guarantee this year. Having Daniel Nava on the disabled list pushes the clock back on him into August, which in reality doesn’t harm the Phillies. They weren’t calling up Dylan Cozens if they traded Nava before the deadline, mostly because he’d rot on the bench behind Aaron Altherr, Odubel Herrera, and Nick Williams.

The second outfielder Philadelphia would love to move is Howie Kendrick, who left Wednesday with a bruised left hand after a hit by pitch. Kendrick is an injury waiting to happen, going on the disabled list twice already this year with separate injuries. Teams will shy away from the .340 hitter Kendrick has been this year in limited playing time at multiple positions, pushing his Phillies expiration date into August as well.

Joaquin Benoit coming out of the bullpen may garner one young player at the Short-Season level. His year hasn’t been as strong as the All-Star Neshek, pushing his ERA to 4.20 on his 40th birthday Wednesday.

Think of the Phillies acquiring Scott Eyre from the Cubs in August of 2008 for 22-year-old Brian Schlitter, who did make the big leagues but never turned into anything substantial.

Those four veterans are the names to watch closest, but don’t be shocked if the Phillies move a young player such as Tommy Joseph or Cesar Hernandez before Monday’s deadline. Both are blocking the team’s top prospects in Lehigh Valley and could fetch the Phillies another young player.

Joseph is more likely than Hernandez to be moved, but a .250 batting average and going 14 games without a home run for a player with only one natural position doesn’t appeal to many teams.

Next: Who'd the Phillies get for Pat Neshek?

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