The Cincinnati Reds are in a strange position for the second straight offseason. The team desperately wants to move on from second baseman Brandon Phillips. They’ve tried, and agreed to trades with two different teams. Phillips, however, vetoed the trades with his 10-and-5 rights.

Brandon Phillips had a solid year at the plate in 2016. His first half was not good, but his second half was well above-average. In total, he was a slightly below-average league hitter (94 OPS+). That’s pretty much what he’s been since 2012 (95 OPS+ from 2012-2016), so he hasn’t exactly declined, but hasn’t been good either.

While the offense has remained the same over the last five seasons, the defense has taken a hit. It’s not a surprise that as he’s aged that the defense has declined. But, contrary to what some Reds fans or announcers may have you believe, he was a below-average fielder in 2016. With the downtick in defensive value, his overall value is now that of a below-average player. Combine that with his salary and the fact that he holds the rights to decline any trade, and the market is incredibly tough.

The Reds, in each of the last two years, have traded for a second baseman of the future. Last year they picked up Jose Peraza and claimed he was the second baseman of the future. Then the team had Phillips veto a trade and that led to the team moving Peraza to shortstop, where it now seems he’s the future there. This past July the team acquired Dilson Herrera in a trade. They, again, said this new player was the future at second base.

Dilson Herrera just hit .274/.335/.456 in Triple-A as a 22-year-old. He’s ready for the big leagues today, assuming there’s a spot for him. Put yourself in the shoes of Dick Williams and Bob Castellini. What do you do with Brandon Phillips? He seems to be without a trade partner. You owe him $14M. You’ve got a replacement, in house, ready to go. Your team isn’t likely competing in 2017 and you need the time to evaluate players for the 2018 campaign. What’s your plan?