Two Birds, One Stone and the Defending Champs...

On the heels of one of the most hyped and rumored potential trades in Philadelphia Phillies history, involving acquiring storied right handed pitcher Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. appears to have snuck in the back door and snagged a different front line starter, along with a capable right handed bat, instead of giving up top prospects Kyle Drabek and Dominic Brown, along with major league starter J.A. Happ for Halladay, to help carry his team into the postseason for a third consecutive year.

While there have already been numerous stories printed, written, spoken and blogged about the centerpiece of the deal, 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee, what really puts this deal over the top is that the Phils also made off with a very capable right handed bat to bring off of the bench in the name of Ben Francisco.

Francisco, twenty eight years old from Santa Ana, CA, may be just what the Phils were looking for, aside from a starting pitcher. He is a right handed hitter with pop in his bat and even has some speed to burn on the base paths. In three hundred and eight at bats this season, Francisco is only hitting .250 but has compiled ten homeruns and even stolen thirteen bases so far, numbers that the Phils will be more than happy with from a pinch hitter and utility outfielder.

What may be getting overlooked about Ben Francisco is that he not only gives Phillies manager Charlie Manuel some much needed pop off the bench from the right side, but also some speed as well. In recent years Manuel has loved the ability to put guys like Michael Bourn and Chris Roberson in to pinch run late in games to have that extra burst of speed on the bases that guys like Ryan Howard and Pedro Feliz simply don’t have. For the most part in fact, he has been without a guy like that since 2007, until now.

All in all, the acquisition of Cliff Lee is of course, the thing that puts the Phillies in prime position to at least get back to the post seeason, for a third consecutive year, but in the National League, where the benches are such a factor because of pinch hitting for pitchers, Ben Francisco makes the Phillies, arguably one of the best benches in all of baseball and may help lift them through the playoffs and back into the World Series. Kudos to Ruben Amaro Jr. and the Phillies for going out and doing what it takes to make their already impressive team better without giving away the entire future.
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Ruben, it's a no-brainer

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.
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A Cy Young winner among us?

The Blue Jays are shopping ace Roy Halladay and it has been reported the Phillies are one of the teams interested. On Tuesday morning it was reported that Toronto Blue Jay’s General Manager J.P. Ricciardi would entertain offers for the team’s ace and 2003 American League Cy Young winner Roy Halladay.

Halladay, recently off a stint on the 15-day disabled list, owns a 10-2 record and a 2.79 ERA.

The two-time 20-game winner has one year left on his current contract worth $15.75 million as well as a no-trade clause on his contract in which he has said he would waive if the situation was good for him and for the team.

In order to beat out the trade offers from teams such as the Red Sox, Yankees and Angels, the Phillies will have to give up a hefty package to obtain the hard-throwing righty.

Scott Lauber from The News Journal reported via twitter that a Blue Jays scout was in attendance at Citizens Bank Park tonight which may mean Toronto is interested in J.A. Happ as part of the deal.

But that’s certainly not all it would take to land Halladay.

Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman said he heard Ricciardi is looking for a shortstop. Maybe minor-league youngster Jason Donald would work in that regard.

But if the Phils want Halladay, they would have to give up at least one of their young studs from the farm system: Carlos Carrasco, Kyle Drabek, Jason Knapp, Dominic Brown, Yohan Flande, Joe Savery, or Michael Taylor.

If I’m Reuben Amaro, I am working out a deal with any of those guys with the exception of Drabek, who I give up if all else fails.

The time for this team is now with the nucleus of players — Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Cole Hamels — Halladay, a 6-6 right-handed ace, is what this team needs if it wants to get back to the World Series and be the last team standing in October.
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