Friday night J.P. Ricciardi and the Toronto Blue Jays made public their list of demands from the Phillies for pitcher Roy Halladay. The Blue Jays are asking for pitcher J.A. Happ, minor league pitcher Kyle Drabek, and minor league outfielder Dominic Brown. Reports out of Philadelphia, however, are that the Phillies and General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. do not want to make the deal for fear they are giving up too much, and honestly, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
If that is all Toronto is asking from the Phils, I will gladly pack each of their bags and drive them to Philadelphia International Airport. Yes, the Phillies would be getting rid of new fan-favorite J.A. Happ, who is a potential Rookie of the Year candidate. Yes, the Phils would be giving up their top prospect in the minors in Kyle Drabek, whom most fans in Philadelphia think is the second coming of Nolan Ryan but who also have never seen pitch. Yes, the Phillies would be trading away minor league outfielder Dominic Brown, who I am certain most Philadelphians couldn’t even tell you on what minor league team he plays. But, what the team would be getting in return far outweighs what they would be giving up.
For the fans who want to hold onto the minor leaguers like Eagles coach Andy Reid holds on to draft picks, they need to remember that prospects are players that scouts and minor league managers think have the potential to be impact players in the big leagues. They are not guaranteed stars, so to treat them as if they are, especially the pitching ones, is ridiculous. For every Cole Hamels there is a Tyler Green. Sure, there might be a player or two you don’t want to trade away, but sometimes you have to be willing to take that gamble and hope it pays off. When you have an established major league team that is already winning (like the Phillies), then the talent in the minor leagues become the pawn pieces used to tweak or bolster a roster for a playoff run.
In that case, the trade essentially becomes Halladay for Happ, which should be a no-brainer for the Phillies GM. In his start Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, Halladay pitched nine innings and struck out 10 on his way to a no-decision, and the Blue Jays ended up losing the game 4-2 in 10 innings. Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, J.A. Happ gave up five earned runs in six innings of work against the Cardinals on his way to his first loss of the season. Happ is good, and he has the potential to be a decent starting pitcher in the majors, but Halladay is an ace, and aces don’t exactly grow on trees.
And if that doesn’t sell Ruben, instead of looking at who the Phillies would be giving up in a trade, look at who they would be keeping. They would be keeping Lehigh Valley outfielder Michael Taylor, who is hitting bombs in the minor leagues like Ryan Howard used to do. They would be holding on to minor league pitchers Joe Savery, who is 12-3 for Reading, and Carlos Carrasco, who I think now may be included in a deal to get a right-handed bat off the bench. The Phillies would also be keeping shortstop Jason Donald and catcher Lou Marson, who could be with the club next season with Chris Coste gone and Paul Bako being 37 years old himself. Plus, the Phillies still have newly signed and former three-time Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez they can plug into the rotation, and there are even talks about the injured Brett Myers rejoining the squad (probably in the bullpen) some time in August.
The Phillies are built to win now, so they need a player that can help them win now. Their core players are in their prime and are actually signed for the next couple of years. If the Phillies were an up and coming team, then I would encourage Ruben Amaro, Jr. to hold on to the prospects in the minors, but they are not. They are a defending world champion looking to repeat, and acquiring arguably the best pitcher in the American League makes the Phillies the hands-on favorite to do so.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree 100%. I am only praying they are playing hard ball and trying to get a trade done without Haap. Halladay better be a Phil on July 31.
ReplyDeleteYou make some good points.
ReplyDeleteWe can use a great pitcher. But we cannot give up both Drabek and Happ. We can give up Drebek, some minor league prospects, and even an outfielder who is not a regular starter. Then we will have a great rotation and a team second to none.
The trade is essentially Happ for Halladay, which is a no-brainer. Happ could be the next Kendrick (I doubt it), so you can't go by his early success, and neither Drabek nor any of the other prospects are close to reaching the big leagues, so you aren't giving up anything from your every day roster.
ReplyDeleteI also think Amaro is playing too much hardball and it could cost the Phillies in the end. The Blue Jays don't have to trade Halladay, and that is the point that most people are missing.
Talks now are that he's looking for Cliff Lee as a second option, and that simply isn't good enough. Yes, we can probably get a deal done for him without giving up Happ or Drabek, but Cliff Lee is another left-handed pitcher in this rotation, which already has too many lefties. You can't win a World Series with Joe Blanton as your best right-handed option. Get Halladay.