Johnson: Phillies should not be hesitant to trade prospects for pitching

The clock is ticking until Tuesday's 6pm EST MLB trade deadline and given how the franchise is positioned, now is the moment for the Phillies to pile on acquisitions.

Known as an extremely smart and—when the moment presents itself— aggressive front office executive led by president Dave Dombrowski, who has already filled positions of need adding a new everyday left fielder in Austin Hays and a likely closer in Carlos Estevez. But more needs to be done.

A bench piece?

"We feel pretty good where we are at this point," Dombrowski told the media over the weekend. "We've got (Johan) Rojas out there...in [Garrett Stubbs] Stubsy we've got backup catcher, (Edmundo) Sosa, then we've got the extra spot right now with (Weston) Wilson...Again, something better happens, you're open minded to it."

Given the position the Phillies have put themselves in with the expectation of World Series or bust, now is the time to throw caution to the wind and pile on as much pitching talent as you can acquire, and place all the pressure where it rightfully belongs, the bats.

Who, or what do you give up in order to acquire another starter or added pen arms? It's simple, prospects.

There has always been this overwhelming fear by most fans that trading a prospect is the worst decision an organization could make, a mistake many GM's make during their tenure. Sure, a handful of prospects may turn out to be a major league player, perhaps a starter, maybe even a franchise cornerstone. But the truth is the highest value most ever have to an organization in their career is that of prospect.

The Phillies are not a team starting over. The Phillies are not a mediocre team just looking to end a postseason drought. The Phillies are a team with a record payroll who sunk everything into "getting that damn trophy back", and anything short would be a failure.

If the opportunity presents itself to pile on needed pitching talent, and the cost is prospects, you do it without hesitation for the here and now.

Dave Dombrowski has done it before, and I expect him to do it again.