Phillies' trade chips won't bring much | David Murphy

Philadelphia Phillies' Pat Neshek in action during a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Thursday, May 25, 2017, in Philadelphia.DON'T EXPECT the Phillies' outlook to get any brighter after the trade deadline. You might've assumed that already, given the number of trade deadlines that have passed since they last sniffed competitiveness. Each one has seen the Phillies as sellers, and, yet, here we are again. Caveat venditor, I suppose (that's "seller beware," according to Google).

Truth is, the trade deadline rarely lives up to its hype. The Phillies' failure to capitalize on the litany of trades they've executed in recent years is by no means an exception to the rule. There's no such…