The Philadelphia Phillies have not yet indicated that they are going to be selling at the trade deadline, but according to Buster Olney of ESPN, if Juan Pierre became available, the Cincinnati Reds would be interested.
Pierre has been a pleasant surprise amidst an incredibly disappointing season in Philadelphia. He is hitting .317 and has stolen 20 bases in 23 attempts.
This is all coming from someone who was not even supposed to be an everyday player. He really only became a starter because John Mayberry Jr. was extremely ineffective for the duration of spring training.
This move obviously makes a lot of sense if the Phillies are going to indeed sell.
Pierre is 34 years old, so he would not be a piece of the distant future. Since his entire game is based around speed, as he gets older, age will catch up to him more quickly than others. When that happens, his trade value will obviously decline.
Therefore, it makes sense for the Phillies to trade him while his value is high.
Another good reason to trade away Pierre if a fire sale really does take place is because it would open up his roster slot. Perhaps John Mayberry Jr. could have another opportunity to regain his spot as the everyday left fielder. Perhaps Domonic Brown could even come up and take some of that playing time as well (I don’t think that that should happen, but that could easily be the topic of another article).
In either situation, they would have a potential part of their future gaining experience.
If the Phillies do decide to sell, it makes a lot of sense for Juan Pierre to be one of those pieces on the move. However, if they decide that they want to stick in until the end, it would be somewhat surprising to see Pierre going anywhere.
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