Hindsight is 20/20, and there are no shortages of opinions about what the Phillies could have or should have done to improve the team's chances of getting to the playoffs.
From this perspective, I've written that the team needed veteran players to help deal with the pressure of a stretch run. Acquiring backup catcher Kelly Stinnett from the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday wasn't exactly what I had in mind.
As of Monday, nothing matters because although the club could still get into the playoffs, the Phillies will face the postseason with the guys who were on the roster as of Aug. 31. The club could still acquire players to help them get there, but anyone added to the roster after that date is not eligible for the playoffs.
General manager Ed Wade reportedly was in talks with another team about a pitcher, but nothing was done before Sunday's midnight deadline. Wade assures those who ask that he is happy with the players that he has now, but sometimes you have to read between the lines.
I have no doubt that he was trying hard, but the GM couldn't get what he wanted either because such a trade would involve the team adding more salary or because the asking price was too high. The organization has some top prospects, and Wade apparently doesn't want to part with them.
That's fine for next year or the following years, but when there's less than a month left in the season and you're still in contention, sometimes a team must pay a high price to win today.
How do you feel about this?
Not to rub salt into any wounds, but the Phillies standing pat looks worse when you consider what other teams have done. The Atlanta Braves made a series of moves over the weekend specifically designed to set their postseason roster with 15 position players and 10 pitchers.
Among those moves was the recall of former Phil Johnny Estrada, who was dealt in the Kevin Millwood trade last December. The catcher had a great year at Triple-A Richmond (.328 average) and will add a third catcher and another bat off the bench for the Braves.
Also, the Florida Marlins reacquired Jeff Conine to replace Mike Lowell, who was injured a few days ago and will miss the rest of the regular season. Conine previously played in Miami and was on the team that won the World Series in 1997. He was hitting .290 with 15 homers and 80 runs batted in for Baltimore.
Florida general manager Larry Beinfest was quoted in a story on the Marlins' Web site as saying, "We felt like we needed to bring in a proven player with playoff experience."
That guy thinks like me.
Dropping Monday's make-up game with the Boston Red Sox (13-9) on a ninth-inning Trot Nixon grand slam seemed fitting to what had been a bizarre weekend for the Phillies.
Ending a losing streak with a three-game sweep of the New York Mets was certainly nice, but the sudden departure of Tyler Houston couldn't have come at a worse time. The back-up infielder was hitting .278 for the season and was the leading pinch-hitter in the majors (.448).
All of the information that is available is coming from the same sources, so you can draw your own conclusions about the move. Most former teammates, thus far, are tight-lipped about it, although Houston and manager Larry Bowa seem to have plenty to say. The only thing that seems obvious to me is that the player and the manager didn't see eye to eye.
There are players on this team who don't care for Bowa's tactics. They will just have to somehow find a way to coexist with him for the next few weeks because everyone has the same goal — to get to the playoffs.
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