Both the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves have struggled through two months of the MLB season, all while the New York Mets have played at a high level.
Could that prompt either the Phillies or Braves to become sellers this summer?
The Braves are the reigning World Series champions, while the Phillies have spent multiple years putting a ton of money into their roster, only to underperform. Through Memorial Day, the Mets sit atop the National League East, with the 23-26 Braves and 21-28 Phillies trailing them by 9.5 and 11.5 games, respectively.
Stranger things have happened, but at this point it looks like the Mets will need a meltdown to lose hold of the division lead. And if the Phillies and Braves can’t get back on track, perhaps selling could be an intriguing option.
But on Audacy’s “Big Time Baseball” podcast, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman indicated that he’d be surprised if either team sold.
“I still think the Phillies and the Braves, they’re going to go for it. They’re going to be buyers,” the Audacy MLB insider said. “I can’t imagine either of those teams giving up, it’s too early for that. I still believe in that talent there, so I think that they will be going for it.”
At this point, both the Braves and Phillies are in too deep with their roster construction to really blow it all up. What seems more likely is making smaller moves on the margins – like trading out players with expiring contracts that aren’t part of long-term plans – instead of swinging big trades and truly becoming sellers. Then, they can retool and try again next year.
But we still have about two months of baseball to play before we reach the trade deadline, and things could get a lot better – or a lot worse – for any team.
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