The Phillies made two moves in recent weeks to upgrade the starting rotation to some extent, signing Drew Smyly and trading for Jason Vargas. Neither move was earth-shattering but needed to shore up an abhorrently lousy rotation. As we get to closer to the trade deadline, an actual earth-shattering move seems less and less likely.
One of the biggest potential targets for Philadelphia and other teams at this year’s trade deadline appears to be off the market. Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported that it now is “very likely” starter Matthew Boyd remains in Detroit.