The on-again, off-again trade that would send veteran second baseman Brandon Phillips to the Washington Nationals is off again, and perhaps for good this time.
According to a report from Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the Nationals are moving on from Phillips and will now pursue other options to fill their second base need.
Rosenthal notes that signing free agent Howie Kendrick could be one possibility for Washington. Working out another trade is also on the table, and if push comes to shove, it's possible the Phillips talks could reopen as well down the road.
 | @Ken_Rosenthal | |
Always a chance that Phillips talks could revive, but for now it appears @DatDudeBP will not be getting traded from #Reds to #Nationals.
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On Thursday, reports surfaced that Washington and the Cincinnati Reds, Phillips' longtime employer, had reached an agreement that needed only Phillips' approval to be completed. The ball was in Phillips' court because he has what baseball calls 10-5 rights. That simply means he's played five years straight with one team and has 10 years service time in the big leagues, which gives him veto power over any potential trade.
There was some expectation on Friday that Phillips would ultimately waive those rights, likely after he reached some type of agreement with the Reds or the Nationals on incentives. However, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman notes that Phillips' demands were likely too high for Washington to seriously entertain.
 | @JonHeymanCBS | |
Brandon Phillips sought an extension to OK nats trade. With $27M/2 yrs to go, he's already overpaid. Can see why teams didn't do that.
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Whatever it ultimately boiled down to, the trade is off the table for now, and both teams will have to move forward. Rosenthal noted what that could mean for Washington. As for Cincinnati, which is clearly now in a full rebuild mode after trading All-Star Todd Frazier earlier in the week, the situation becomes a little more complex. With Phillips holding the power, it may be difficult to work out a trade that truly benefits their plan.
As a result, general manager Dick Williams may have to get more creative on his end to satisfy Phillips' demands. It may also include parting with another player, potentially a prospect, in order to entice the trade partner to meet Phillips' demands.
This situation will give Williams and president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty something to think about over the holidays. One thing is for sure though, they want to get out from under the two years and $27 million that remain on Phillips' contract, meaning that dealing him should remain a priority.
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