Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski felt that his team could use some players to help get his team as complete as possible for the stretch run, and into the playoffs.
He did well for himself, adding outfielder Austin Hays and reliever Carlos Estevez a few days before the July 30 trading deadline.
In the final hours before business closed on that deadline, he made two more moves, adding lefty reliever Tanner Banks and trading away reliever Gregory Soto for two minor leaguers.
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Yesterday, Hall of Fame baseball writer Jayson Stark joined The Best Show Ever, and according to his sources, Dombrowski was swinging for the fences to the very last moment, attempting to add arguably the two biggest names on the market.
“I’ve known Dave for 25 years. I’ve seen this movie before, this is how he goes about it,” Stark began. “Just calling around the last two days. He makes those two big deals, and people kind of assume ‘he’s filled both needs, he’s done.’ I don’t think he was done.
“Here’s what I’ve heard over the last 24 hours: they chased Garrett Crochet, the ace of the White Sox, all the way, practically, to the deadline. I don’t know how that would’ve worked, but they looked at that guy like he’s worth overpaying for… he’s the best player who will change hands at this deadline, and you can control him for [three] more years. He’s your ace moving forward, even though you don’t know how you’re going to handle it this year.
“I don’t know where Taijuan Walker would’ve fit, they might’ve just eaten the money [he’s owed $36M over the next two seasons], because he was that good.
“That didn’t happen, he didn’t go to anybody, but that’s the kind of deal Dave pursues."
The price tag on Crochet would have been much higher than what he spent on any of his other acquisitions over the past week, but you can definitely appreciate that he was aiming to make his club as good as possible in the near term.
And that wasn’t the only prize he was hoping to add.
“[Tuesday] [Marlins closer] Tanner Scott was the best reliever and the only All-Star who got traded at this deadline [to the Padres], the Phillies were in on that to. The. End.”
“He didn’t have to do that, but he never closes for business.”
While he didn’t get either of those deals done, Dombrowski didn’t stop trying to improve his team by any means necessary to the very end. Now it’s up to the team on the field to hold up their end.