I can think of only two reasons why Michael Young and Carlos Ruiz are still Phillies today: Either Ruben Amaro didn't realize yesterday was the trade deadline, or his afternoon nap was poorly timed.
We know that Young had drawn interest in the days before the deadline from the likes of the Rangers, Red Sox, and Yankees. We figured his exit from Philadelphia was assured—the Phillies are going nowhere and he'll be a free agent after the season, so why not try to get something for him now?
Jon Heyman filed this report claiming the Phils could have gotten a pretty decent return, yet inexplicably passed.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman and Phillies GM Ruben Amaro spoke on the phone around 3 p.m. ET Wednesday, an hour before the trade deadline, at which time Amaro confirmed what the Yankees had been reading in the media: Michael Young was willing to waive his no-trade clause to go to the Yankees.
So Cashman offered to send a prospect to Philly and pay the $5 million to go on Young's deal. And Amaro rejected the deal.
Then Cashman asked about Phillies veteran catcher Carlos Ruiz, and was told that Ruiz, who has one home run this year, is not available.
Amaro went on Philly radio this morning to dismiss the report, saying Heyman "is wrong a lot of times." (For the record, so is Amaro.) But even if the details weren't accurate, why not take anything for Young or Ruiz? Why not take a low-level prospect just to save a few million on their remaining paychecks?
The Phillies must know—I hope they know—that they won't receive compensation for letting Young walk in the winter. In the past, his stats would have been good enough to make him a Type B free agent, granting the Phillies a supplemental draft pick. But under the new CBA, for the Phillies to get anything, they'd have to extend Young a qualifying offer for 2014, which would have to be at least the average of the 125 highest-paid players. Last winter, that was about $13 million. Would the Phillies consider giving $13 million to a 37-year-old should-be-DH? Actually, that sounds like a very Ruben Amaro thing to do.