Inbox: Do the Phillies need to deal Hamels in the offseason?

Email your questions to Phillies beat reporter Todd Zolecki for future Inbox consideration.

Do you think the Phillies should trade Cole Hamels to get the quality players they need to improve?
-- Robert C., Reading, Pa.

I'm not sure they must trade him, but they certainly should not be afraid to trade him. ESPN is showing "The Great Trade Robbery" about the Dallas Cowboys trading Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings, which catapulted the Cowboys to a NFL dynasty. "My attitude was, we were 53 players away from the Super Bowl," former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson said. In other words, it made sense to trade their most talented player because they were not going to win with him. But they could win in the future if they traded him for multiple talents, which they did.

I remember Phillies senior advisor Pat Gillick saying you have to be willing to take risks as an organization. Trading Hamels would be a considerable risk, especially with the way the organization has identified amateur and professional talent in recent years, but it could pay off in a big way.

Who is to blame for years of trades/Draft picks and nobody coming up through the system?
-- Jerry P., Tunkhannock, Pa.

Former assistant general manager of amateur scouting Marti Wolever took the fall for the organization when Ruben Amaro Jr. told him late last month that he would not return. Wolever had been running the Phillies' First-Year Player Drafts since 2002. Certainly Wolever is not the only reason for the organization's decline the past three seasons, but his dismissal is the only significant change Philadelphia has made to the front office since '11. The organization believes it is on a bad run and that things will turn around with the staff it already has in place. It is a gamble, but it is one the club is willing to take.

Considering his .300-plus batting average, 49 stolen bases, age and three years of control remaining, will Ben Revere ever have more trade value than he does this offseason? Will the Phillies' front office push to move him for younger players with more upside?
-- Nick C., Chicago

Perhaps, but I'm not sure how much trade value Revere has. It's almost certainly not enough to get multiple prospects. Revere needs to hit at a high clip to be a productive everyday player in a lineup, because he lacks power. And while he has remarkable speed, his lack of arm strength hurts him in the outfield. The Phillies would like to upgrade center field, if possible, so it would not surprise me to see them trade him, or move in another direction. But the reality is everyday center fielders are hard to find, so Revere could be back in his current role.

Do the Phillies have the luxury of keeping both third basemen Cody Asche and Maikel Franco, or could one be traded?
-- Ed G., Greensboro, N.C.

They can keep both, and they could play both in a platoon at third base. There has been talk about moving Asche to left field. Franco also can play first base, which becomes a more attractive option if the Phillies move Ryan Howard in the offseason. Right now, young players with upside are in short supply, so I think Asche and Franco are two of the players least likely to be traded this offseason.