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The Philadelphia Phillies have had an interesting year to say the least. For a team that was expected to finish at the top of the division, being at the bottom has not been very comfortable.

While some of this can surely be attributed to the key injuries of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Roy Halladay, the team overall is simply not playing the way that it should be.

Because of this ineffectiveness that has them in last place with an 11 game deficit, the Phillies are faced with the question they haven’t had to ask for a long time.

Should they be buying or selling at the trade deadline?

Certainly, Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino could be moving out in Philadelphia if the Phillies decided to sell. Both of them are highly talented athletes, and they’re both going to be free agents at the end of the season. That makes them perfect trading options.

However, that presumes that the Phillies are going to sell, and I’m not sure if they dynasty that has grown rightfully proud over the past few years is willing to admit defeat.

The Phillies of the past few years have gone on the best run of success in franchise history. The Phillies have never been a dominant franchise, and for a few seasons, they were just that.

Now, perhaps age has caught up with them, or perhaps there is some other explanation, but the Phillies are at a turning point. Do they continue with what they are doing and count on the strong return of Ryan Howard and Roy Halladay?

After all, if these two were able to come back at full strength, the Phillies’ lineup and rotation would look substantially different. While they have a pretty major deficit to overcome, these two could help them try to make that move.

On the other hand, if they were to sell, there would probably be no postseason dream and no hope of another World Series in 2012.

Which option are the Phillies going to choose?

The Philadelphia Phillies have invested far too much in both Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard to say that their return will not help make things better. They cannot start selling it until they find out more about the status of these two men.

If they return and are not productive, expect the Phillies to immediately start selling. However, right now, very little should happen.

The Cut-Off Man Chris Berry Interactive Chris Berry Interactive