Major League Baseball's trading deadline is only three days away, and the Phillies are reportedly trying to swing a trade that will bring a solid, right handed bat into their lineup. As of today, the three guys that the Phillies seem most interested in acquiring are Astros RF Hunter Pence, White Sox RF Carols Quentin, and Tampa Bay CF BJ Upton. Pence and Quentin would give the Phillies offense a much needed boost (I'm not high on Upton), so bringing either of those guys on board would be a big deal. However, in order to acquire either of those players, the Phillies will probably have to give up something substantial in return. Already, the Phillies have offered the Astros a couple of minor league prospects for Pence. The Astros rejected that offer. They, along with the rest of Philly's potential trade partners, want at least one player who:
1. Is Young
2. Has lots of upside
3. Has proven something in the majors (i.e. started some games in the Bigs)
Granted, the Phillies have quite a few of those players, but some are more important than others. Three of those players in particular are so important that should be strictly off limits in trade talks. And in what may be a big surprise to many people, I don't view Domonic Brown as one of those key players, a position I will clarify throughout this article. At any rate, it's important for the Phillies not to continuously deplete their young corps of players in order to win now. In about 5 years, the Four Aces and most of the Phillies' offensive stars will be gone, and if there is not a young group of players ready to take over for those guys, it will be the late 1990's at the Vet all over again. Now, here are the three players I view as "untouchable".
1. Vance Worley, Starting Pitcher
At this point, I'm convinced that Worley is the future of the Phillies pitching rotation. As of today, the rookie pitcher is 7-1 with a 2.02 ERA, and is coming off of the first complete game of his young career. Anybody will tell you that great pitchers are hard to come by, and the Phillies are obviously very blessed on that front. However, the Four Aces won't be around forever. In fact, their reign of dominance may only last for a couple more seasons. Halladay, Lee, and Oswalt are all over 30 years old. Injury-prone Oswalt in particular may not last past this season, and is already hinting at retirement. In 5 years, I'm picturing Cole Hamels and Worley as a solid 1-2 punch that will keep the Phillies in playoff contention in a post Halladay/Lee world.
Now, rumor has it that the Houston Astros may want either Worley or Domonic Brown in return for Hunter Pence. I was listening to Mike Missanelli on 97.5 The Fanatic earlier today, and he seemed in favor of trading Worley and keeping Brown in order to acquire Pence. According to Missanelli, Brown is more important to the Phillies than Worley in terms of winning now. However, I am currently more concerned with winning later. Although Worley may not have a major postseason role for the next couple of seasons, he is key to the Phillies future. And as much as people complain about the Phillies lack of offense, they still have the best record in baseball. Acquiring a new hitter is important, but not at the expense of losing Worley. Besides, I'm actually quite fine with trading Brown. He hasn't impressed me as much as the next guy on my "untouchable" list, who should be a productive outfielder in the years ahead.
2. John Mayberry Jr., Outfielder
Yes, I believe that John Mayberry Jr. is more important to the Phillies future than Domonic Brown. Quite frankly, I think that Mayberry has more potential than Brown. People will argue with the fact that Brown is a highly rated prospect and Mayberry is not, but I like to judge players based on the most important facet of the game: On the field performance. Let's compare some numbers between the two players. In most instances, the players are similar.
Brown's batting average is .251, Mayberry's is .257.
Brown has 18 RBIs, Mayberry has 26 RBIs.
Brown has a .343 OBP, Mayberry has a .323 OBP
Brown has appeared in 52 games, Mayberry has appeared in 60.
Those numbers are very similar on all fronts, and that trend only continues throughout other statistical categories. So if Domonic Brown is so much better than John Mayberry Jr., why can't the top-ranked prosepct pull away from his plebeian counterpart? I also believe that Mayberry has more determination and heart than Brown does. I can remember a couple of clutch hits that Mayberry made, but I can't remember any from Brown. A lot of my support of Mayberry is based on gut instincts, but if I had to get rid of either him or Brown, Brown would be gone in a heartbeat. I'll be proven right when Mayberry is in the All Star game in two years, and Brown is a .240 hitter on another team.
3. Michael Martinez, OF
Martinez looks like he could be another star hitter in the future for the Phillies. At first glance, his numbers may not look that impressive (.223 average, 2 HRs, 19 RBIs), but like Mayberry, Martinez has been clutch in important situations. Martinez also has awesome fielding skills, something that is obviously important for outfielders to have. Although Martinez may be more expendable than the previous two players I mentioned, it still can't be denied that he has starter-caliber potential. Perhaps once Shane Victorino is no longer on the team, Martinez could step in as the new centerfielder.
So there are my three "untouchables". I'll be very unhappy if any of those players are no longer on the Phillies after this weekend, particularly if Worley gets dealt to the Astors. In the end, it's Domonic Brown who should be used as trade bait. From what I can see, he only has the potential to be an average hitter, he is not very important for a playoff run this year, and plenty of teams will give us something better in return for him (ex. Hunter Pence). If the Phillies play their cards the right way, they will win a couple of World Series over the next few seasons, all while building a core of young players to keep the franchise's winning ways alive for the next decade.
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