The Ramos roundup is a weekly Philadelphia Sports column highlighting all the pertinent news of the week featuring the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, Sixers, and Union.
Phillies Drop Fourth Straight Series: Acquire OF Hays, RHP Estévez
Kyle Schwarber homered twice, but the Phils squandered a three-run lead on Sunday to lose their four straight series. Perhaps just the ebbs and flows of a season, the Phils have had a rough patch here; something to be expected during the course of a long, arduous baseball season.
However, the club has added some immediate help in the name of outfielder Austin Hays and relief pitcher Carlos Estévez.
Hays, 29, is coming in from Baltimore for reliever Seranthony Domínguez and outfielder Cristian Pache. Hays should help this Philly lineup, as his power to all fields as well as his ability to barrel up balls will make him a nice addition. Estévez, on the other hand, is a 31-year-old high leverage arm that should aid the Phillies bullpen late in games.
With Major League Baseball’s trade deadline looming on Tuesday, we’ll see if the Phillies attempt to bolster their team even more.
Flyers Ink Konecny to 8-Year Contract Extension
The Flyers locked up fan favorite Travis Konecny to a lucrative, long-term deal beginning in 2025-2026. According to PuckPedia, Konecny will have a 14-team no movement clause throughout the first six years of the contract, with a limited no-trade clause for the last two years.
To be clear, I like Travis Konecny. He’s undoubtedly earned a raise based on his play and what he means to the team as an on-ice leader. He’s an objectively good hockey player. But, it’s difficult for me to shake the thought that the Flyers weren’t the team to do something like that at this time. Especially when the club has so many more pressing needs to address.
Despite the arrival of Matevi Michkov, the Flyers still have holes at the center position as well as some questions on defense and in goal. Some of these things may work themselves in time. Will Konecny still be a productive player during that time?
Time will tell. You can watch Konecny’s full meeting with the press here.
Baribo Stays Hot in 1-0 Win over Charlotte in Leagues Cup
Tai Baribo netted his first career Leagues Cup goal, while keeper Andre Blake recorded his second career Leagues Cup clean sheet in the Union’s 1-0 win on Saturday. It’s been a tough season to date so far for the boys in blue, but now that many of the key performer’s are back in the club, it appears Philly is back to being the tough home squad that they’ve been in the past.
The Union continue Leagues Cup play when they host Liga MX side Cruz Azul on Sunday, August 4 (8:00 p.m. ET/ Apple TV).
