Pete Mackanin understands the reality of the task he agreed to take on. The Phillies' interim manager knows that the roster he has been handed could very well see one or two high-profile subtractions by the end of this month.
So as the calendar turned to July, Mackanin did not dance around a question regarding the possibility that Cole Hamels could be dealt before the July 31 trade deadline. He even called it "probable," but added that's just his gut feeling.
"I know exactly what's going to happen, but I don't want to tell anybody," Mackanin said with a straight face.