Why the Phillies Need to Trade for Roy Halladay

So it appears that Buster Olney of ESPN has his thoughts on why the Philadelphia Phillies need to attain Toronto Blue Jay ace pitcher Roy Halladay, effectively trying to steal my thunder. 

Thankfully, while his opinions are solid, they do not quite emulate mine and make my case even better! As head coaching “great” Herm Edwards once stated, “You play to win the game!” or in this case, the World Series. How would Halladay help the Phillies?  Well…

These days, no one in baseball without excellent starting pitching. The Phillies have a great defense and awesome offense, a good bullpen, and a closer in Brad Lidge who is finding his groove again. 

What they don’t have is the starting pitching needed to win in the playoffs. The winning streak the Phillies have been on in July has been great, but winning in the playoffs is different.

You need two bonafide starters to win four game for you over a seven-game series. Last year the Phils had Cole Hamels and Brett Myers, with assistance from Joe Blanton. This year, the Halladay-Hamels duo would make the Phillies one of the favorites to win it all.

Second, the addition of Halladay would add an edge to a sometimes aloof Philadelphia squad. Manager Charlie Manuel is already warning against complacency as the Phillies have built upon their NL East lead. Halladay, along with second baseman Chase Utley, would help the Phillies with a “bring it every night” mentality. 

The signing of Raul Ibanez to replace infamously low-key Pat Burrell started the transition; Halladay would cement it in place. The Phillies never give up until the final out; adding a “step on their throats” killer edge would make them dangerous indeed.

Finally, a Halladay trade would energize the city of Philadelphia to epic proportions and signal MLB that the Philllies have put aside their somewhat timid approach and are ready to establish themselves as a contender for years to come. Philly has always been overshadowed by the Mets, Yankees, and Red Sox: teams who stop at nothing to bring titles to their respective cities. 

It’s time for the Phillies to do the same. The nucleus of the team is built to win now and will be that way for another three to five years. With much of their young minor league talent blocked by All-Stars on the big club, the Phillies can afford to move prospects for a shot at another ring.  

Gengereral Mnana Ruben Amaro needs to decide. The time is now and make his mark with this team. Roy Halladay in Philly Red would take him a long way towards doing so.