A King’s Ransom For Roy Halladay: Why I Would Make The Move

Ask any baseball fan what it takes to win a world series and at some point, pitching will come up. Last year Cole Hamels won the World Series MVP, but it took four games to win it all. Joe Blanton, Brett Myers and Jamie Moyer all stepped up at different points to provide a solid pitching foundation during the playoff run.

Toronto Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi announced Tuesday that he’s willing to listen to offers for All-Star Pitcher Roy Halladay. Since Brett Myers went down with a hip injury, the Phillies have been on the look out for pitching help. Seems almost like synergy at work for the Philly faithful.

Yes you will have to come up with a trade offer that forces the Blue Jays to take notice. Here’s my reasoning why you find a way to make this deal.

I can not remember a time when the NL east was as weak as it currently is. Teams like the Braves and Marlins are only going to improve, but appear to be a few years away. The Mets free spending has backfired. They are trapped in bad contracts, and could be gun shy, as money has not translated to wins.

It is the perfect time to try and put yourself above the rest of the division. Getting Halladay would put the fightin Phills in a position to dominate for this year and next. The Phillies are holding onto first place with a very average 44-38. Hamels is still trying to find his comfort zone, and no pitcher has been consistent. Add Halladay and you know what your getting every fifth day. That puts the Phillies is a position to dominate a weak division for the next year and half, and that’s if you don’t resign Halladay.

Halladay is a ground ball pitcher, which would serve him well at Citizens Bank Park. Of the pitchers being mentioned as available this year, Halladay is the perfect fit for the Phillies, even over Jake Peavy.

His overall presence would rub on the entire staff. For a youngster like J.A. Happ, he can learn. For an established star like Hamels, he’ll have help in the rotation and hopefully pick up some work habits.

and of course, for you stat junkies:

Halladay is 10-2 with a 2.79 ERA, 116 innings pitched, in 16 starts.

He has 98 strikeouts and three complete games. Oh, and for the boo birds, he’s given up just 10 homeruns.

compared to the Phillies starting pitchers:

Jamie Moyer leads the team in wins with seven.

Joe Blanton’s 85 strikeouts and 96 innings pitched are tops on the team, in the same amount of starts as Halladay, 16. That’s 20 more innings. That’s an extra 1.25 inning per game. The bullpen will be thankful, trust me.

Hamels and Happ each have one complete game. For the entire staff.

The lowest ERA among starting pitchers is 3.04 for Happ. He’s only started nine games after replacing Chan Ho Park in the rotation. There’s a strong chance he would be included in a deal for Halladay, as he’s 5-0 this season.

I feel the Phillies should sacrifice some of the future to win now. There is a window that will only be open for the next few years, where the Phillies can move ahead of the division, and put themselves in a position to win more than just one World Series title. Dare I dream and use the word dynasty?

 

Can Ruben Amaro Afford To Play the Waiting Game?

It’s July 2. Currently, the Philadelphia Phillies sit in first place in NL east.

Read the last sentence alone, and it’s exactly what you would want as the GM.

Now let’s add in some more facts. The Florida Marlins are only a half game back, the New York Mets are hanging around at two games back, and the surprising Atlanta Braves are only three games back. One bad weekend and the Phils might be fighting for the wild card.

Sprinkle in some misfortune; Brett Myers unexpected injury has affected the entire pitching staff, and not in a good way.

And finish it off with a touch of sub-par performances; Cole Hamels not pitching anything like last year, Jimmy Rollins could easily guest star on Without A Trace (playing the role of the missing person), and the bullpen being asked to “take the ugly friend” like a good wing man, as the starting pitchers remain inconsistent.

If it wasn’t for Raul Ibanez having an MVP-type season so far, this team would be in dire straits.

That’s a good recipe for disaster. So far the Phils are standing pat, content to let the cold hitters work their way out of slumps, and for the current pitchers to find a groove. So far, J.A. Happ has filled in for Myers, but Jaime Moyer is looking his age. In fairness, he had a bad first half last year, and they won the series.

This feels different. I worry that the Phils are blinded by last year’s success, and they think that this will all work out if given time. They can always come back with the overused excuse, “Look what happened last year.”

My fear is this little bruise will grow into a full blown infection very quickly. This team isn’t showing any concern, and I’m afraid that will not change as the losses continue to pile up.

The fan base has given this team a free pass because of the world series win, so pressure is no excuse for a National League worst 13-22 record at home.

Ok, that’s not fair. The Nationals are 13-25 at home, so the Phils are only TIED for NL worst record at home.

I think it’s time for Ruben Amaro to make a trade. We need a starting pitcher or a bat to help jump start this lineup.

Most importantly, this team needs a spark to inject a little desperation, to remind this team they ARE defending champions.