Mick Abel has been openly discussed as being one of the team’s top, if not the top, trade chips the team has in its holster. Come the trade deadline, his step forward and first round pedigree, coupled with a pretty full cupboard in the starting rotation at the major league level, meant that Abel was the guy people were using as a lead piece when it came to crafting trade packages to upgrade the current roster.
That might be changing.
Added to the rotation for the time being, Abel made a second straight strong start for the Phillies, further entrenching himself among the opening five and coming close to breaking a team record.