Guardians Telling Phillies, Other Teams 'They Plan To Keep' Their Star Closer

The Philadelphia Phillies are eyeing bullpen arms before the trade deadline.

This is a massive need for the team, and it's something that has plagued them in their pursuit of a World Series title each of the last three years.

Determined to not let that be the deciding factor again this season, all signs are pointing to Dave Dombrowski putting together one of his patented aggressive deadline periods where the future of the franchise he's running is put on the line in order to chase a championship.

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High-end names have been thrown out there as possibilities for the Phillies to go after, but perhaps nobody was more of a popular fit than Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase.

The two-time Mariano Rivera Reliever of the Year winner would not only anchor Philadelphia's bullpen for multiple seasons to come, but he would also generate a nice return for a team that seems to be a few pieces away from being perennial contenders in the American League.

With the trade deadline less than two weeks away, things are starting to crystalize when it comes to how things might play out.

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Unfortunately for the Phillies, it sounds like Clase won't be made available after all.

"The Cleveland Guardians are telling teams they plan to keep closer Emanuel Clase, who still is under team control through 2028," reported Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

If that is actually their plan and not a bargaining tactic they are using to drive up the price even further than it was already expected to be, that is a tough bit of news.

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While acquiring Clase always seemed like a bit of a longshot, the fact that he might not even be placed on the block at all is frustrating for a team that needs a shutdown closer.

Philadelphia can take that statement by Guardians with a grain of salt and keep trying to offer something that could bring Clase to the City of Brotherly Love, but it seems like that is going to be almost impossible to accomplish.

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