BREAKING: Phillies Acquire Roy Halladay in Three-Team Trade

It took five months longer than we expected, but Roy Halladay is a Philadelphia Phillie.

According to Jon Heyman, the Phillies have agreed to a three-team trade with the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners that will send Halladay to Philadelphia, Cliff Lee to Seattle, and a package of prospects from the Phillies and M’s to the Blue Jays.

Halladay, 32, will sign a contract extension with Philadelphia to complete the blockbuster.

Heyman hasn’t been able to confirm whether Lee is the player that Seattle gets in the trade, but he was able to confirm that Seattle is the third team.

Who Toronto gets from Philadelphia and Seattle is still an unknown.

Halladay went 17-10 with a 2.79 earned run average last year with the Blue Jays while Lee had a 3.39 ERA in 12 starts for the Phillies.

Ruben Amaro Jr. now has acquired two former Cy Young winners in his tenure as the general manager of the Phillies.

More to come.

For more Philadelphia sports coverage, please go to my blog: The Broad Street Scoop

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Trade Cliff Lee For Roy Halladay? The Baseball Debate

Roy Halladay has been the talk of the town recently in the baseball world. He’s on everybody’s Christmas list, but only one team will get him.

The Phillies are the top contender to get him, but they will have to sacrifice some talent.

The original thought was that for the Phillies would get him they would need to trade left-hander J.A. Happ, outfield prospect Dominic Brown, and another prospect.

The other thought was that it would be a swap of aces, Cole Hamels and another prospect for Halladay.

Either of those deals I would take in heartbeat. It would give the Phillies two aces in Cliff Lee and Halladay.

But news came out recently that there is a third option, and it is one that I never wanted to think about.

Cliff Lee for Roy Halladay.

To most Phillies fans, it sounds absurd. This is the guy who helped lead them to the World Series. The guy who helped turn a struggling rotation around. The guy who dominated down the stretch.

Many people may oppose this, and many will try to find a way around it. But at this point, it may be the only logical option.

I, and every other Phillies fan, would love to have both, but that may not happen.

The question is, who would you rather have? Lee or Halladay?

If you look at the stats, you’d take Halladay. If you look at recent dominance, you’d take Lee.

I, honestly, would take Halladay.

This is because Halladay has been the best pitcher in baseball since he became a full-time starter in 2002. He is an innings eater and will get a lot of wins. Oh, and he’ll have a low ERA.

Both have a Cy Young Award. Halladay has finished in the top five in voting five times.

Halladay has won 20 games twice, while Lee has won 20 games once.

Based on the last two years’ stats, the one with the better stats is Halladay, but not by much. He has more innings, more strikeouts, and an ERA lower by 10 points.

Another thing that doesn’t factor in is security. Both have one year remaining on their contract. That means that no matter what, next year the Phillies will try to retain their ace pitcher.

Either of the two will help Philadelphia. If there was any other way, then I’d go for it.

But, right now, it looks as though Philadelphia won’t have pocket aces.   

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Roy Halladay in Philadelphia: This May Actually Be Going Down!

FOXsports.com is reporting that Roy Halladay is in Philadelphia right now , and could be a Phillie very soon.

“The only reasons for the Blue Jays right-hander to be in Philly would be to negotiate a contract extension, take a physical or both. One source said that — as of shortly after 3 p.m. Monday — the commissioner’s office had not yet granted the Phillies permission to discuss an extension with Halladay. Judging by that, it would appear that an agreement is not imminent today.”

The rub is the Phils would be parting with postseason hero Cliff Lee. FOX reports that the Halladay and Lee would be part of a three-team trade involving themselves, the Jays, and possibly the Angels. The Phils would get Halladay and cash.

How bad was that meeting with Lee’s agent last week? If Lee is hell bent on testing free agency after 2010, and the Phils can lock up an ace like Halladay now it’s a no-brainer. Of course being able to keep both, at least for one season, would be ideal, but that may not be possible.

So the question is would you rather have Halladay for 3-4 years or have a highly-motivated Lee for one?

Update: SI.com’s Jon Heyman is reporting that the Phillies and Blue Jays have agreed to a trade that will send Halladay to Philadelphia. The third team involved is the Seattle Mariners. It is not clear who the Jays and Mariners will be receiving, although it is still widely speculated Cliff Lee will be the key component.

 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Roy Halladay, Phillies Talking Contract Extension as Trade Looks Likely

Jim Salisbury reports that the Phillies are “actively” talking contract extension with the representatives for Roy Halladay, while Andy Martino is reporting that Halladay and his agent have

Salisbury says a source told him that Halladay is expected to take a physical exam this week and that there were indications Monday that Cliff Lee could be traded.

Speculation arose in the last couple days of baseball’s Winter Meetings in Indianapolis that the Phillies were back at the head of the sweepstakes to acquire the 32-year-old right-hander.

FOXSports.com says that the situation could be resolved this week and that the Phils and Blue Jays are talking a blockbuster that would send Doc to the Phillies while sending Lee to a third team. A straight trade is still possible according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi.

The Phillies would be willing to trade Lee, who they traded four prospects for at the deadline, because he will become an unrestricted free agent after this season and will likely test the free agent market.

According to Jon Heyman, Lee told Ruben Amaro Jr. that he would take no discount in signing a contract extension, while Halladay may be willing to take less than Johan Santana or CC Sabathia to play for a winner who plays close to his home in Florida.

More to come when more details become available, but it looks like Halladay will be traded to the Phillies within the next couple of days.

For more Philadelphia sports coverage, please go to my blog: The Broad Street Scoop

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Roy Halladay For Cliff Lee: It Could Happen, But Should Phillies Do It?

With the winter meetings over and the Phillies‘ bench restocked, fans have turned their attention to Ruben Amaro Jr.’s non-attempts to trade for Toronto‘s Roy Halladay. What was once an exercise in prospect roulette may have taken a turn towards blockbuster.

FOXSport’s Ken Rosenthal thinks there is a good possibility the Phils could dangle playoff and World Series stud Cliff Lee as part of a potential Halladay deal. The gist of it being the Phillies trade Lee for a bevy of prospects and then flip some or all of them to Toronto for Halladay. Halladay would get a contract extension in exchange for him waiving his no-trade clause.

Would this make sense though?

Pros

What it may do is keep some of the Phillies’ top prospects like Dominic Brown and Kyle Drabek safely off the table and secure a right handed ace to go alongside erstwhile ace Cole Hamels. Halladay is battle-tested against the American League behemoths New York and Boston, and while many will scoff at the Phils’ rotation being to lefty-heavy, Halladay would bring a nice balance. Philadelphia may also be able to hold onto a prospect they receive for Lee.

 

Cons

Does this dramatically improve the Phils? Lee is as much of an ace as Halladay and showed he could be counted on in the post-season. He’s a year younger than Halladay as well (31 to 32). Halladay also has an injury history.

 

Halladay and Lee are both aces, but for my money (which it’s not) Doc is the ace of aces. A guy who will take the ball at the start of each game with every intention of getting that ball back from the catcher at the end. He’s faced down the big bullies on the block season after season and never blinked. Giving up Lee isn’t ideal but if that’s what it takes to lock up Halladay it has to be done.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

The 2010 Baseball Hall of Fame Election Predictions

The 2010 Baseball Hall of Fame election is coming up and there is a lot of buzz surrounding this one.

There are a few first year players on the ballot that will surely cause some commotion.

And of course there are players that have been on the ballot forever.

My top picks for election this year are Andre Dawson, Bert Blyleven, Roberto Alomar, Lee Smith, Jack Morris, and Barry Larkin.

My top two out of them are Dawson and Blyleven.

Dawson has been on the ballot for nine years. He received 67 percent of the vote last year and is the most likely to make it this year.

He spent most of his career as an outfielder for the Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs. He batted .279 with 438 home runs, 2774 hits, 1591 RBIs, 314 stolen bases, and 1373 runs scored.

He won the 1977 NL Rookie of the Year Award and the 1987 NL MVP Award. He won eight Gold Gloves and made eight All-Star teams.

Blyleven was a starting pitcher for a number of teams during his career. He was called up to the bigs when he was 19 and had instant success.

During his career, Blyleven had a record of 287-250 with a 3.31 ERA, 4970 innings pitched, 3701 strikeouts, and 60 shutouts.  Last year he won 62 percent of the vote.

Roberto Alomar, who is on the ballot for the first time had a stellar career. He batted .300 with 2724 hits, 210 home runs, 1134 RBIs,474 stolen bases, and 1508 runs scored. He made 12 All-Star teams and won 10 Gold Gloves.

Barry Larkin, who is also on the ballot for the first time, also had a great career as a shortstop. He spent his entire career in Cincinnati.

He had a lifetime average of .295 with 2340 hits, 198 home runs, 960 RBIs, 1329 runs scored, and 379 stolen bases. He was the 1995 NL MVP. He also made 12 All-Star teams and won nine Silver Sluggers.

Lee Smith, who has been on the ballot for eight years, was a closer mostly for the Cubs during his career. He finished his career with a 71-92 record and a 3.03 ERA. He also saved 478 games, which is third all-time.  He also struck out 1251 batters.  He received 44 percent of the vote last year.

Jack Morris was the dominant pitcher for the Detroit Tigers during his career. He had a record of 254-186 and posted an ERA of 3.90. He struck out 2478 batters and threw 3824 innings during his career. He made five All-Star teams.

I say Andre Dawson and Bert Blyleven are in.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Roy Halladay Holds Key for Kyle Kendrick and Jamie Moyer’s Future

Last year, the Phillies had a battle for the fifth starter spot. It was mainly between Chan Ho Park, JA Happ, Kyle Kendrick, and Carlos Carrasco.

Well things have changed.

There is still a battle for the fifth spot in the rotation, but it has different contenders. Chan Ho Park is a free agent, Carrasco is with the Indians, and Happ is in the rotation.

So far the Phils rotation is Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, JA Happ, and Joe Blanton.

That leaves Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick to fight it out for the fifth spot. The Phillies are also considering resigning Pedro Martinez. That would make it a three-way battle.

The most likely option right now is Jamie Moyer, who won 12 games last year. Let’s face it, the guy isn’t that bad. In my opinion, its his job to lose. Kendrick will have to take it from him.

There is only one way that both Kendrick and Moyer will get their way, and no it’s not by going to Burger King.

The answer is Roy Halladay.

If the Phillies trade for him, they will likely give up JA Happ. It would also mean they would likely trade away Joe Blanton to get rid of money.

This would leave two open spots in the rotation, and both Kendrick and Moyer would likely win a spot.

It all comes down to who you’d want to have. JA Happ, Joe Blanton, and Moyer or Halladay, Moyer, and Kendrick?

Halladay is an ace in himself and adding him would give the Phillies two aces, and hopefully Cole Hamels can bounce back. That would give the Phillies the best three-man punch in the league.

Moyer can hold his own, and Kendrick did pretty good last year in triple-A and in his major league games.

If the Phillies can make a deal for Halladay, they should be in good shape

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Jamie Moyer: Future Hall Of Famer? Part Two

To see Part One, click here .

Jamie Moyer, 47, has been in baseball for almost 25 years. Before he was in drafted, he pitched for Souderton High School, which is very close to my house. He then went on to pitch for St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.  

 Moyer was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1984 when he was 21. He dominated in the minors during his first three seasons. He was called up in 1986 and pitched against the Philadelphia Phillies and his childhood idol, Steve Carlton. He collected his first win that day.

He found limited success over the next few years. After being traded to the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals, Moyer found himself back in the minors in 1992.

At this point, with a record of 34-54 and an ERA of 4.56, Moyer was considering retiring. His father-in-law told him to retire, but Moyer remained faithful to baseball.

In 1993, Moyer, found rebirth with the Baltimore Orioles. He had a record of 12-9 and posted a 3.43 ERA. He then spent two more mediocre years with the Orioles before signing with the Boston Red Sox.

Moyer now 33 years old, was a starter and reliever for the Red Sox and did a pretty good job but was traded to the Mariners before the trade deadline. This was a move that he will never regret.

Moyer became a full-time starter and finished the season strong. He then had a record of 59-32 with an ERA of 4.08 over the next four years, including winning 17 games in 1997.

Jamie then had a terrific year in 2001. He was 20-6 with a 3.43 ERA and finished fourth in Cy Young Award voting. He continued his dominance the next year as well.

In 2003, Moyer had his best season. He had a record of 21-7 with a 3.27 ERA and made his only All-Star team. He also finished fourth in Cy Young Award voting.

Over the next few seasons, Moyer began to fall from grace. He had yet another rebirth after being traded to the Phillies in 2006. During his career in Seattle, he had a 145-87 record with a 3.97 ERA and 2093.0 innings pitched.

After helping the Phillies with an unsuccessful playoff push in 2006, Moyer helped them make the playoffs in 2007. He didn’t have the best season, but he managed 14 wins and an ERA of 5.01. He also won the last game of the season for the Phillies, which clinched them the division title.

In 2008, Moyer had his best season since 2003. He was 16-7 with a 3.71 ERA. Yet again, he won the division clinching game for the Phillies that year. He also became tied with Phil Niekro for most wins by a pitcher who is 45 or older.

Moyer then pitched a pivotal game in the World Series for the Phillies, which helped them win their second world championship.

In 2009, Moyer had a drawback. He won 12 games, but lost his starter’s job and injured himself in the last month.

At this point, Moyer is set to pitch in spring training. He is under contract for next year, and has every intention of coming back. Unless his injury sets him back, he will be ready for 2010.

Beyond that, it is unclear for Moyer’s future. He will be 48 when his contract ends and will have to show the Phillies that he can still pitch next year to let them consider resigning him.

After 23 major league seasons, Moyer has a record 258-195, which is surely good enough for the Hall of Fame, considering how many others have made it with a worse record. He also has plenty of innings pitched and plenty of strikeouts.

The only thing that could keep him from the Hall of Fame would be his ERA. You could also make the argument for his lack of awards, yet he has won the Hutch, Lou Gehrig, and Roberto Clemente Award, which the voters will surely look at because they also look for character.

Plus, he’s made an All-Star team, though he should’ve made more in my opinion. He’s had the stats to be on the team many times.

You could say he wasn’t a dominant pitcher during his career, yet that would be false. Dominance isn’t defined by strikeouts. It is defined by a pitcher’s ability to get outs. That’s exactly what Moyer did. He got outs. The only reason he wasn’t as known was because of the other pitchers in the league.

Anyway, back to his ERA.

During his career, Moyer has a 4.22 ERA, which won’t go away soon. If he was elected, yes he would have the highest ERA of all Hall of Fame pitchers. The fact is though, ERA isn’t everything. Sure, it’s important, but the fact is that it doesn’t define a pitcher.

Also, Moyer had only 34 wins by the time he was 30, and he didn’t pitch in the bigs when he was 29. That means that over the last 16 seasons, he won 224 games. That’s not half bad, especially if you believe a pitcher gets worse with age. He’s sixth all-time in wins after the age of 30.

94 of those 224 wins came after he was 40. That’s third all-time, and he’ll be second all-time next year. All he needs is two more wins to pass Jack Quinn.

But the main thing to look at is the stats. Here’s a quick look:

Record: 258-195 ERA: 4.22 IP: 3908.2 K: 2342 GP: 667

That seems like Hall of Fame stats to me. But there is another stat I want to mention. His 491 home runs allowed.

Out of the top ten players with the most home runs allowed, six of them are in the Hall of Fame, and two of them are Randy Johnson and Bert Blyleven, who are both future Hall of Famers.

Coincidence? Maybe…maybe not. No, I’m not suggesting you make the Hall of Fame by giving up a lot of home runs. I’m only saying it’s something to look at.

I also want to add that in the poll conducted in the other article, 62% said Moyer is a future Hall of Famer. (It was out of 98 votes.)

If Jamie Moyer can manage to stick around in baseball until he’s 50, then great. It’ll help add to his Hall of Fame resume.

All I can say is good luck to Jamie Moyer.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Ruben Amaro Jr.’s Silence Speaks Volumes in Phillies’ Pursuit of Roy Halladay

It has been quiet at the winter baseball meetings for the defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies.

They shored up their bench with the additions of left-handed hitting Ross Gload this week, to go along with previous signings of catcher Brian Schneider and utility man Juan Castro.

Their biggest signing has been third baseman Placido Polanco.

They are even waiting to see what to do with capable incumbent relievers Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre.

So when veteran hometown baseball writer Jim Salisbury hammered Phillies GM Amaro about the Roy Halladay rumors, at first glace, Amaro said little.

However, watching a second time, Amaro said he couldn’t talk about it because it involved players.

Players? We talkin’ ’bout players?

What Amaro means is major league players; otherwise he would have said prospects.

The general opinion is that the Phillies would package J.A. Happ along with prospect Domonic Brown or Michael Taylor.

So as much as the Phillies have pursued Halladay, the Blue Jays are sticking with Happ as the major league candidate.

What does that mean for a team already reaching the proposed $140 million budget?

The Phillies would have to trade Joe Blanton, who made $5.5 million last year and might make around $7 million this year.

Halladay would cost about $16 million for one year, as he is on the last year of his current deal.

That is still about $9 million to dump.

Would I do it?

Heck, yes. The price for Halladay has dropped. It is a one-year commitment, but with the Yankees getting Curtis Granderson, it is time to move.

Stay tuned.

Something big is brewing.

It might happen soon; if not now, then midseason if Halladay is still in Toronto and their season is awash.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Verducci: Philadelphia Phillies “Very Aggressive” in Pursuit of Roy Halladay

Tom Verducci, a baseball insider for Sports Illustrated and the MLB Network, reports that a source has told him that the Philadelphia Phillies have been “very aggressive” in their pursuit of Roy Halladay, and are the front-runners to acquire the right-hander.

The Phillies are looking for the players that Toronto wants for Halladay, and are putting together a package, even if it means they have to add another team into the mix, according to Verducci’s source.

This coming one day after FOXSports.com reported that the Phils are offering a package that includes J.A. Happ and either Dom Brown or Reggie Taylor.

For more Phillies coverage, please go to my blog: Phillies Phandom

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

« Previous Page — Next Page »