Girardi OK with roster if Phils stay quiet at deadline
Joe Girardi won’t complain if the Phillies do not make any substantial upgrades before Monday’s trade deadline,
Riding a five-game winning streak into Sunday night’s series finale with first-place Atlanta, the Phils have gone from potential sellers to full-fledged buyers in a week’s span.
Well ... if the price is right.
“i think we always look to get better and I think that’s what (general manager) Matt (Klentak) and his staff is doing,” Girardi told reporters Sunday. “It always takes two to tango. At times there could be a guy you’re interested in, but if the asking price is so great, it doesn’t make any sense. I can’t tell you if we’re done. If there’s a way to improve our club and there’s someone out there that can help us, I’m sure Matt will do everything to make it possible.”
The Phillies turned their season around in Atlanta last Sunday, snapping a fivegame skid. It happened in dramatic fashion. Roman Quinn cut a ball off in the gap and hit Didi Gregorious with a perfect relay throw. Andrew Knapp tagged Dansby Swanson at home for the final out. If Swanson had scored, the game is tied and who knows how the rest of this crazy season would have played out.
For now, though, the Phillies are in the midst of a pennant run ... strange as it sounds. It has been nine years since the franchise has qualified for the postseason. As of Sunday night, the Phils were a halfgame ahead of Miami (1415) in second place and two games behind Atlanta for first in the NL East.
The worst the Phillies can do is split the season series with the Braves. Overall, they own an 11-6 record against division rivals.
“I like how our team stacks up. I think at times we have played really well during the season and when I look at our rotation, I think our rotation has been one of our strengths,” Girardi said. “When you’re running a good pitcher out there every day, you have a shot to win every day. That, to me, is very exciting. I like our team, we just need to continue to do the little things that we’re doing.”
With the shortened season, the trade deadline hasn’t generated the kind of excitement and nervous anticipation it has in past years. The winning streak has alleviated some of the pressure, though.
“I think with 16 teams being involved (for the playoffs), it’s probably on less guys’ minds than it normally would because I think so many more teams have a chance to get in,” Girardi said. “There’s some clubs that have made some moves already so I would think those guys would be a little bit more on edge than maybe some of the other clubs. Right now, I think our guys feel pretty good about where they are.”