The Philadelphia Phillies plan to aggressively pursue trades to improve their bullpen and outfield offense ahead of the July 31 deadline. Owner John Middleton emphasized the challenge of making deals, noting that not all desirable players are available while some may cost excessively. Past experiences have taught the team that even strong trade acquisitions don't guarantee success, as illustrated by trades from 2009 to 2011 that failed to secure a World Series title. The organization is open to trading top prospects to acquire needed high-leverage relief and offensive depth.
You can't just trade everybody and say, 'Well?'...some players who you think we should be getting - they're not going to be available.
We made a spectacularly good offer - so good that Dave looked at me at one point and said, 'I don't know that I should be doing this.'
Every move [former GM Ruben Amaro Jr.] made, it was an A-plus move...we still lost. Not only do we not win the World Series...but we exited every year one round earlier.
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