Phils Deal Or No Deal?

With tomorrow's 4 p.m.trade deadline quickly
approaching, Pat Gillick faces some very difficult decisions in the 24 hours
ahead. Most
of the talk has the Phillies adding either a right-handed bat or left-handed
reliever, but there are serious concerns surrounding any of these potential
moves. Several of the rumored transactions could be prohibitively expensive,
and none of the remaining available players guarantees a trip to the playoffs.

The player the Phils still seem most
likely to acquire is Rockies closer Brian Fuentes, a lefty who projects to a
quality set-up man for Brad Lidge. The problem is Colorado will receive two high draft picks if Fuentes departs
as a free agent after this season, so the asking price is locked at a pair of
high-end prospects. Another name that picked up steam in just the past couple
days is Royals relief pitcher Ron Mahay, who at age 37 is having the best year
of his career.

At this point, the smartest decision might be not to
deal at all and hope for the best. None of the reported swaps address the
club's glaring need for a dependable starting pitcher to fit between Cole
Hamels and Jamie Moyer in the rotation, and they could all eventually prove
costly to the future while offering no assurance of success right now. If it
doesn't make the Phillies a favorite to reach the World Series, is it really
worth the risk?