PHILADELPHIA -- Expect the Phillies to be busy with only weeks remaining before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline.
Daniel Nava should be part of the conversation. He went 3-for-4 with one double and one walk in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. He entered Spring Training as a non-roster invitee, but outplayed Chris Coghlan, Tyler Goeddel and others for a final bench job. Nava is hitting .313 with six doubles, three home runs, 14 RBIs and an .838 OPS in 152 plate appearances.
Think a team could use a veteran switch-hitting outfielder like that for the stretch run?
"Well, I think if you're looking for a good hitter and a pretty good defender, and that's a need, I wouldn't see why you wouldn't," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.
Nava is not going to command a heavy price, but he could get something of value in return. He could be packaged in a deal, too.
"I've been in situations where you don't know what's going to happen, whether it's this or in Spring Training, making the team," Nava said. "Those things are so far outside of my control that the more I think on those things, the worse it is for me. I know that that's something I can't control. What I can control is coming to the yard, preparing myself to play, and then going out there and put together good at-bats and put myself in a good position."
But the fact that Nava has played himself into potential trade value is something of an accomplishment, considering his non-roster status entering camp.
"I mean, I've had my back against the wall for years in terms of trying to make teams, the journey I've taken, it's not foreign to me," Nava said. "I've been here many times before. I guess it's a positive, silver lining in that since I have been in this position, I've been trying to scratch and claw for everything I have, every day I can put a jersey on. It's not something that really freaks me out. But anybody would be lying if they said that's something they want every single day to be like. I'd love to know that I'm going to be set and know where I'm going to be set. But that's just not how things are."
If the Phillies cannot find a trade partner in July, Nava could be moved after the non-waiver Trade Deadline. Those trades happen all the time. The Phillies got Mike Sweeney (2010), Matt Stairs (2008), Russell Branyan (2007), Jeff Conine (2006) and Jose Hernandez (2006) in August waiver trades. Again, the right might not be much. In those five Phillies trades listed above, three were for cash considerations. The other two were for Angel Chavez (Conine) and Fabio Castro (Stairs).
Nava just needs to keep hitting. It sounds like Mackanin will continue to give him opportunities. Nava has hit leadoff in six of the past nine games.
"He gives us the best at-bats on the team, quality at-bats," Mackanin said.