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After being scrutinized for their inactivity at the non-waiver trade deadline in July, the Phillies will not move a couple of key pieces in August, either. 48 hours have passed since Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reported that left-hander Cole Hamels and outfielder Marlon Byrd have been claimed off revocable trade waivers and no trade has been announced, meaning that the Phillies have pulled both players off of waivers and will keep them through the rest of the season.
The Cubs were the team that claimed Hamels and failed to strike a deal for him before today's deadline, as Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Times reported earlier today. The Phillies were reportedly asking for Addison Russell as the centerpiece of a potential deal, which would likely be too high of a price for the Cubs to pay after acquiring him in a deal for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel last month.
The claiming team for Byrd is unknown, but they were obviously unable to strike a deal and the veteran will remain with Philadelphia through the end of the season. It would not come as a surprise if the Phillies tried to move him this offseason, when teams will be looking for offensive power on the trade market.
The Phillies reportedly placed most of their key veterans on waivers, with Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Carlos Ruiz, Antonio Bastardo, A.J. Burnett, Kyle Kendrick, Ryan Howard and Jonathan Papelbon being among the names who went on the wire. Papelbon reportedly cleared waivers, meaning that he can be dealt to any team before August 31.