It’s no secret that the Phillies have been engaged in trade talks with the Baltimore Orioles regarding star infielder Manny Machado. According to one baseball writer who opted to use a very clunky football metaphor, a trade could happen at any moment:
Source indicated last Sunday his sense was that the Orioles were at the 35-yard-line and driving in the Machado trade conversations. Same source this Sunday: "10-yard-line." PHI, Brewers, Dodgers waiting for the goal line call. As mentioned yesterday, Orioles have narrowed focus.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 15, 2018
Although the Phillies will enter the All-Star in first place, their performance in the series against the Miami Marlins - and particularly in Sunday’s 10-5 loss - could be enough to cause management to question whether the team should really go all in on a playoff push this season.