Phils Win Big w/ Trade

The Phillies finally came to their senses and kept Happ, while maintaining their bottom line "untouchable" and got the defending Cy Young winner to shore up their rotation for the playoff run. Thank goodness Cleveland is playing "Moneyball."

The Phillies kept their "untouchable" starting pitcher, Kyle Drabek in the minors, where he is quickly ascending to join their staff next season (if not as a late-season expanded roster addition). They Kept Dominic Brown AND Michael Taylor, their top 2 position player prospects.

They traded:

1) SS-Jason Donald, who has nowhere to play with Jimmy at SS.

2) C-Lou Marson, who they had decided didn't play his position well enough to play for them at the ML level.

3) P-Jason Knapp, who is only 18, but will one day shine with amazing talent, albeit after Chase & co. have passed their prime.

and

4) Carlos Carrasco, last year's "untouchable," who they had all but given up on after hoping he'd make the ML roster this past spring, until he underwhelmed, then struggled in the minors this year.

So, the Phillies gave up NOBODY they needed and NO major leaguers and got last year's AL CY Young at the pinnacle of his career? That's correct. And that's why 103,787 fans have (so far) cast votes at ESPN.com when asked, "Who won this trade?" and 86% answered: The Phils.

notes:
Lee had a better ERA than Halladay in July: 2.37 to 2.81.

Lee's ERA since April 16th is 2.66-- and that's playing in the superior American League & against the DH.

In Lee's past three starts, he has pitched 25 innings, given up four earned runs and zero-- that's right, no walks.

Lee has the AL's 6th best ERA & the league's 8th-worst run support (4.32). He allowed 3 runs or less in 6 of his 9 losses.

He will be a Phillie next year on a rotation that could hypothetically be comprised of:
1) Cole Hamels 2) Cliff Lee 3) Brett Myers 4) J.A. Happ 5) Kyle Drabek

According to one ESPN writer:

Phillies get Lee, give up few high-end assets

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

For the Phillies, this looks like a steal. In Cliff Lee, they acquire one of the best pitchers in the American League over the past 18 months while retaining their top two prospects and trading four guys who all have serious question marks.

Lee

Lee has been the best left-hander in the AL and top-three in the league since the start of the 2008 season, although before that he went off the rails and had to be optioned to the minors in July of 2007. Lee's entire game turned around in 2008, as he picked up some velocity, improved his command and began to work more effectively in the lower half of the zone; he's now a four-pitch guy with command and control who works deep into games. (He has shown a large platoon split this year, with right-handed batters gaining more than 250 points of OPS, but it's out of line with his previous seasons and appears to be a fluke.) His contract includes a $9 million option for 2010 that the Phillies will certainly pick up; even if they decided they couldn't afford to keep him, he's extremely tradeable and they'd probably get value close to what they just gave up to acquire him.