The Phillies got their man this afternoon according to FOXSports’ Ken Rosenthal. The Phils sent left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ, minor leage outfielder Anthony Gose, and minor league shortstop Jonathan Villar to the Astros for starting pitcher Roy Oswalt.
The Astros will also pay $11 million of an approximate $23 millon owed to Oswalt through 2011.
From Rosenthal:
In exchange for Oswalt waiving his no-trade clause, he will receive an increase in one part of the buyout of his $16 million mutual option for 2012.
If the Phillies pick up their end of the option, Oswalt can decline his end, become a free agent and receive a $2 million buyout instead of the $1 million in his current deal.
If Oswalt chooses to decline the option on his own, he also will receive a $2 million buyout.
Of those prospects I think Villar offered the most long-term upside to the Phillies. Although he’s made upwards of 40 errors this season at Lakewood, he’s only 19-years-old and has shown great promise both at the plate (.272/.332/.358) and on the base paths (38 steals).
With no other discernible short stop prospects in the minors, Villar was the only possible long-term replacement for a seemingly fragile Jimmy Rollins.
Happ, of course, offered great value to the Astros. He’s a talented and cheap ($470,000) starting pitcher who’ll be under their control until 2015.
While he’s yet to have a true breakthrough season, Happ has showed great promise in his stint with the Phillies last year.
Gose, like Villar, is only 19-years-old, and playing at High-A Clearwater he was very impressive. He’s hitting decently (.263/.325/.385) as their lead-off hitter, but his bread and butter is his blazing speed (37 steals and 11 triples).
He needs some refinement in his technique – he’s been caught 27 times – but that can be learned.
Gose also is a premium defensive outfielder, using his speed to run down balls and using an arm that many scouts thought was good enough to get Gose drafted as a power pitcher. Think Michael Bourn with a good arm.
I think Ed Wade has once again made the Phillies a better team by being the Astros GM. While I like Villar and Gose as prospects, the Phils were able to acquire a top of the rotation pitcher plus $11M without giving up any of their premium prospects (Jonathan Singleton, Jarred Cosart, Brody Colvin, Trevor May, or Domonic Brown).
I won’t say the Phils fleeced Wade completely, but Philadelphia GM Ruben Amaro may have helped redeem himself a little bit in the eyes of some very disgruntled fans.
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At the 2006 trade deadline the Phillies, 49-56 at the time, unloaded mercurial OF Bobby Abreu to the Yankees. Not for a windfall of prospects but, to Phillies fans’ dismay, to simply unload an expensive player. Abreu was making $13.6M in 2006, and stood to make $15M in 2007. General manager Pat Gillick didn’t think Abreu was a piece of the puzzle worth the price, and in what Bill Conlin dubbed “the Great Gillick Giveaway”, he traded Bobby for a group of low-level prospects and a Triple-A lifer.
Matt Smith—RP
There was some hope the tall lefty could fill a need in the middle of the Phillies bullpen, but he could never find the strike zone. Smith walked 15 in only 12 2/3 IP during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. He has never thrown a pitch in the majors since.
C.J. Henry—IF
Henry was the Yankees’ 2005 first round pick, and was only 20 years old at the time of the trade. He was released in 2007 later after batting a measly .184 for the Lakewood Blue Claws. His career then took a different path. He enrolled at Memphis in 2008 and was a walk-on with John Calipari’s basketball team. He redshirted that season (2008-2009) and then prepared to play with his younger brother Xavier, a top recruit, in 2009-2010. But before that could happen Calipari jumped ship to Kentucky and Xavier Henry was released from his commitment, choosing to attend Kansas for the 2009-2010 season. C.J. followed and was a reserve guard alongside his brother at KU. Xavier Henry will head to the NBA this year, so who knows what C.J. does from here. It won’t be hitting a curveball, that’s for sure.
Jesus Sanchez—C
Sanchez is the only guy still left on a Phillies’ roster, only now he’s a starting pitcher, not a catcher. He converted to the mound in 2008 and has done quite well for himself. In 2009 Sanchez struck out 120 batters in 136 IP, posting a very respectable 3.44 ERA for Low-A Lakewood. This season Sanchez is in the Clearwater starting rotation with some actual expectations. Should be interesting to watch.
Carlos Monasterios—P
Monasterios, signed as a free agent by the Yankees out of Venezuela, was 20 at the time of the trade. In 2009 as a member of the Clearwater Threshers Monasterios was named the Florida State League’s mid-season All-Star team. Before 2010 he was selected by the Mets in the Rule V draft and then traded to the Dodgers. Surprisingly Monasterios made the Dodgers out of spring training in 2010 and has been an effective relief pitcher.
Of course the Phillies went on after the Abreu trade to win three consecutive NL East pennants, appear in two World Series, and winning one. So his instinct that Abreu was going to be a the type of player they were going to win with has been proven correct. Whether he could have gotten more in return for Bobby is still debatable.
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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.
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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.
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Cole Hamels may have come away with the win Thursday, but his behavior after Chase Utley’s 5th-inning throwing error was disturbing.
After Utley failed to complete a double play Chase threw his arms up in the air and stared in Utley’s direction. Not extremely demonstrative and I can understand his frustration, but you do not show up your teammates like that. Period.
Imagine if a grinder like Utley threw his hands up in disgust every time Hamels gives up a two-strike hit, or when one of his change ups get launched into the stands (see Ramirez, Manny).
Hamels has struggled all season, and while most of his struggles have to do with his inconsistent change up there has been an element of bad luck, and I think that’s what got to him in Game 1. Hollywood isn’t a chronic whiner, and by all accounts is a good teammate, but this kind of thing at this point of the season is unacceptable. Errors happen Cole, just make the next pitch.
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The Phils fell to the Cubbies this afternoon and two worrisome roster spots reared their heads again in the 10-5 loss—Chad Durbin and Brad Lidge.
It’s hard to panic after the Phillies just reeled off 10-straight wins, but neither Durbin or Lidge were particularly sharp during the stretch.
Sure, Lidge wracked up four saves over that 10-game stretch, but he still doesn’t look like the Lidge of 2008. He’s become hittable, and opposing hitters are laying off his slider more and more, licking their chops at a fastball Lidge seems hesitant to throw with any sort of authority.
Durbin continues to struggle as he did most of the second half last season. He walks too many batters and seems to wilt under pressure. He thrives in games where the outcome is in hand, like Tuesday’s 10-1 pounding of the Cubs.
This all may seem nit-picky, especially when it comes to a guy like Dubrin who doesn’t seem to have a solid role in the pen, but it was a deep bullpen that help the Phils win the Series last season, and this year’s version has some weak links.
What I propose is that the Phils back off Roy Halladay and pursue the pieces that will sure up what could be an outstanding relief corps.
Pitchers like Arizona’s Chad Qualls or Toronto’s Jason Frasor would be excellent additions and wouldn’t cost the team the slew of minor league studs a Halladay or Cliff Lee would. Both Qualls and Frasor have closing experience in case Lidge’s stuff doesn’t return, allowing Ryan Madson to maintain his more familiar role as the set-up man.
Again, if the Phillies acquired Halladay I would be ecstatic too, but I feel this team is real close to being the team-to-beat as is, and a couple of tweaks here and there in the bullpen would be a cheaper (in cash and prospects) means to get closer to back-to-back championships.
According to Scout.com the Phillies and Nats could be working on a potential deal for outfielder and right-hand bat Josh Willingham.
Willingham, in his first season with the Nationals, has 12 home runs in 246 at bats, and would be an excellent fit off the bench for a Phillies team desperate for a consistent right-handed bench player.
The report thinks the Nats would be interested in pitching and Willingham, making $3 million this season and arbitration eligible for the next two seasons, wouldn’t cost the Phils much in terms of star potential.
Just to throw some names out there as potential bait for Willingham the Phils have starters Vance Worley, Joe Savery, and Mike Stutes at Double-A Reading. None I would consider top-of-the-rotation guys, but all should have some future in the big leagues.
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With all the scuttlebutt out there about the Phillies going hard after Toronto’s Roy Halladay at the expense of their surprisingly fertile farm system, they’ve quietly won 12 of their last 13 games, and opened up a very comfortable 6.5 game lead in the NL East.
The starting pitching of JA Happ, Joe Blanton, a resilient Jamie Moyer, and the off-the-scrapheap Rodrigo Lopez have helped the Fightin’s turn in a dominant July. The pitching this month, even without Cole Hamels pitching well, seems to have the stuff to win it all again.
So assuming the rest of the NL East continues to suck wind the rest of the way, I have to question whether or not Roy Halladay is needed. I think the answer for the rest of the season is no, not really.
Would he be the centerpiece of the postseason rotation? Definitely. But do the Phillies trade a Happ and a Kyle Drabek to get him, or do they work to find pieces to solidify the rest of the team for the postseason at a much cheaper price?
I’m talking about a Chad Qualls from Arizona to make the bullpen a strength again. Ryan Madson is suddenly looking very hittable, and outside of Chad Durbin’s three-inning outing this evening against a beaten-into-submission Cubs team, he’s less than reliable.
Or do they finally pursue a right-handed bat to come off the bench? John Mayberry is too inexperienced, and way too strikeout-prone to make a difference in the postseason, and if I have to see Eric Bruntlett get the bat knocked out of his hand one more time I’m going to scream.
By acquiring a Qualls-type reliever and a solid bat off the bench I still feel the Phils are the team to beat, at least in the National League.
Could the Phils do all three? Probably, but the cost in prospects could (Drabek could be Brad Brink Jr.) be devastating three years from now.
Of course Halladay is there for 2010 as well, which Peter Gammons feels gives the Phillies a chance to get to three-straight World Series:
“One could argue that the Phillies have a chance to win three straight World Series (if the Phils acquire Halladay, they would have him under contract for the rest of this season along with the entire 2010 campaign)—and make Cole Hamels even better.”
I certainly wouldn’t be cursing a deal for him, but I’m just throwing it out there that he’s not the only option the Phils can take and still be considered a World Series favorite.
When it comes to securing a top of the rotation starter like Roy Halladay the word “untouchable” should be removed from any minor league prospect in the Phillies system.
Not Kyle Drabek. Not Dominic Brown. Not Jason Knapp. No one should be untouchable.
Throughout baseball history, teams become so enamored with their own prospects that the value of those players becomes so over-inflated reality becomes distorted and deals for known quantities are dismissed out of hand.
In Halladay’s case, the Phils have an opportunity to land a 1A pitcher. An inning-eating, groundball-inducing, ace who instantly makes the Phils the top contender in the National League—this year and the next.
In Drabek, Brown, Knapp, Lou Marson, Michael Taylor, Jason Donald, and Carlos Carrasco the Phils certainly seem to have a bright future, but they’re all unknown quantities at this point. The same way Phils’ prospects of yesteryear, like Pat Combs, Ron Jones, Jeff Stone, and Rick Schu were.
You just never know. For every wunderkind pitcher like Felix Hernandez there’s three Homer Baileys. For every stud outfielder like Ryan Braun there’s four Jeremy Hermidas.
It’s a crapshoot—especially for the youngsters like Knapp and Brown.
Like the NFL draft, it’s a lot of fun to dream about what the Phillies are going to look like in two or three years with all these young players up in the majors.
No one likes trading No. 1 draft picks for veteran players—it’s just not as exciting. And no one gets excited about trading all our “future All-Stars” either, but reality is they’re just twinkles in our eyes right now, and Halladay is the twinkle on another World Series trophy (or two).
Make these guys “touchable” Ruben, and make this happen.
Roy Halladay
With word circulating that Toronto ace Roy Halladay is potentially on the table, the Philadelphia Phillies are of course put at the top of the list of potential suitors.
ESPN’s Buster Olney:
Right now, the team most aggressively searching for a frontline starting pitcher is the Philadelphia Phillies, who no doubt would covet Halladay for their particular park for his ability to generate ground balls and missed swings—he has a ground ball/fly ball ratio of 1.30, to go along 98 strikeouts in 116 innings this season. The question about the Phillies—as it is with most teams these days, when the value of young players has never been higher—is whether they would be willing to give up what the Jays would require in trade.
It’d take a ton of prospects to land this whale, but wouldn’t you take another World Series win in 2009 for potentially lean years three or four seasons down the line? Halladay is an ace’s ace. A guy who can simply carry a squad for months at a time. We can all dream of what Kyle Drabek, Dominic Brown, Michael Taylor, and Carlos Carrasco will look like in a Phils uniform, but the fact is we dreamt the same thing about Pat Combs, Ron Jones, Marlon Byrd, and Brad Brink once too.
Take the World Series this year, and potentially the next season as well (Halladay is signed through 2010), and worry about restocking the farm in the interim.
Javier Vazquez
I raised the question two days ago whether the Braves would entertain trading starter Javier Vazquez to a division rival, if at all. FOX’s Ken Rosenthal may have answered that question today:
There is no hitter on the market who would represent fair value for Vazquez—not A’s left fielder Matt Holliday, who is underperforming as a potential free agent; not Brewers right fielder Corey Hart, whose on-base percentage since the start of the 2008 season is .307. There will, however, be plenty of hitters available at bargain prices this off-season.
As much as I like Vazquez, his post-season track record, in a word, blows. If the Braves decide they’re out of it, and aren’t enamored with extending Vazquez beyond 2010, a package of Lou Marson, Kyle Kendrick, and Carlos Carrasco may do the trick. But after reading how much Javy likes Atlanta and Bobby Cox, any sort of deal for him seems like quite the longshot.
[firedforwinning.com]
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