The Phillies acquisition of Cliff Lee on Wednesday could turn out to be a win-win-win for Philadelphia, Cleveland and Toronto.
So another Roy Halladay start came and went and the best pitcher the Toronto Blue Jays ever developed doesn’t appear to be in need of any change of address forms anytime soon.
With rumours flying around Safeco Field that Halladay was going to be scratched from his start and on his way to another city, all that nonsense ended when word filtered out to sweltering, 100 degree Fahrenheit Seattle that the Phillies had finally pulled the trigger on a deal to strengthen their rotation in an effort to defend their World Series title.
But it didn’t involve Halladay, nor did it involve the two pitchers that Jays’ general manager J.P. Ricciardi demanded be involved in any discussions with Phillies’ counterpart, Ruben Amaro Jr., left-hander A.J. Happ and top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek.
Instead, The Phillies landed defending American League Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco from the Cleveland Indians for a parcel of prospects – right-handers Carlos Carrasco and Jason Knapp, catcher Lou Marson and shortstop Jason Donald.
In one fell swoop, the Phillies solidified their rotation, making them the odds-on favourite to return to the Fall Classic while the Indians kick started their rebuilding program with the Phillies second, third, fourth and 10th rated prospects.
For Blue Jays fans, and we know you are still out there based upon viewership numbers, it was a bittersweet deal. They were hoping that some new blood could be added to the Jays to start their own rebuild. But if Halladay was to be sacrificed for the cause, they had to have Happ and Drabek in return along with outfielder/first baseman Dominic Brown. That was the price that Ricciardi is rumoured to have requested and I applaud him for sticking to his guns. Doc Halladay is a once-in-a-generation stud ace and anything less in return would have been unacceptable for me and everyone else that still cares about this franchise.
The urgency to deal Halladay is not as great as the media would lead you all to believe, and certainly not for the maximum return. As I’ve written in previous missives, a deal involving Roy Halladay would be a franchise-altering event, and should not be made just for the sake of making a deal.
Plus, with Ricciardi on a very short leash and likely to be replaced after this disappointing season, any deal for Halladay should be made by the new general manager as he tries to put his own stamp on a team whose plan and approach has changed more often than their uniform colour scheme. At least, after the trade deadline ends on Friday, this story, which took a life of its’ own with endless rumours and blather coming out of the blogosphere, will finally go away and everyone can concentrate on what is going on between the white lines.
PHUN TIMES PHOR PHILLIES PHANS
For the hard-nose, leather-lunged fans of the Phillies, these are great times indeed. Sure they didn’t get Halladay, who they longed for, but Lee is no slouch. Despite his less than stellar 7-9 record with the last-place Indians, Lee has had quality starts 18 of the 22 times he has taken the hill to lead the A.L. His 2.37 ERA in five July starts sends him off to the City of Brotherly Love at the top of his game. And here’s some numbers that shouldn’t be overlooked: in 22 career starts vs. the N.L., Lee is 12-2 with an ERA of 3.18.
The fact that he’s allowed just one home run to left-handed hitters this season, means that pitching in the band box commonly known as Citizens Bank Park shouldn’t be much of a problem. The one pitcher that I am definitely looking forward to seeing is Kyle Drabek. If he’s so good that the Phillies wouldn’t part with him to get Halladay, then he better be the second coming of Dwight Gooden. Because if he’s not, and the Lee trade fizzles out, young Drabek, son of Doug, the 1990 National League Cy Young Award winner, will feel the wrath of the fans, something he would never have been subjected to in the less than half full Rogers Centre.
