Paraphrasing Madonna: Halladay! Celebrate!

On June 3, 2009, the day after Roy Halladay struck out 14 Angels en route to his 9th win of 2009 (at the time that total led the majors), and well before the rumors and trade talks heated up, I posted the following in the Toronto Blue Jays thread on the Outsports.com Discussion Board: "Does Halladay have a no-trade clause? Is there any chance that he would be traded if the Jays are well out of the playoff race by the trade deadline? Preferably to a team that plays its home games in the 215 area code?"

Phillies fans, no need to thank me. Just doing my job. (Although gifts and monetary donations are always welcome.)

Essentially, the two trades the Phils made are in actuality a straight-up deal of Cy Young award winners: Cliff Lee for Roy Halladay. There's no way of knowing how the careers of the three prospects the Phillies sent to Toronto for Halladay, or those of the three prospects acquired by the Phils from Seattle for Lee, will turn out. All the "experts" can make projections but we won't know which players will succeed and which will fail for a number of years. So there's no reason to fret over that now.

Halladay, needless to say, is an excellent pitcher whose work won't suffer from coming to the designated hitter-less National League. Everyone wanted him last year but the Blue Jays' price was too high. The Phils then got Lee from Cleveland. Toronto had to trade Halladay in this off-season, knowing that no team would give up much without signing Halladay to an extension, and that Halladay wouldn't negotiate such a contract once spring training rolled around. So the Blue Jays lowered their asking price to something the Phils could live with.

I've heard a lot of complaints from callers to sports-talk station WIP that the Phils should have kept Lee even after getting Halladay. This is nonsense. Like it or not, the Phils are limited in how much they can spend. They spend much more than they used to, but they don't have the nearly infinite financial resources the Yankees and Red Sox have.

Lee was clearly bound and determined to test the free agent waters after the 2010 season and get a maximum salary in a long-term contract. Outside of a deal similar to, if not more expensive than, the CC Sabathia contract, the Phils weren't going to sign him. So, as great as Lee was after coming from Cleveland, and as exceptional as he was in the 2009 postseason, the Phillies had to do something. Halladay wanted to come here, to be on a team that has won two NL championships and a World Series in the last two years and looks to seriously contend for a few more years. And the Phils' spring training home of Clearwater is close to his home in Florida. The stars were in perfect alignment.

Halladay signed a three-year extension for a lot of money, but an amount the Phils figure they could fit into their budget. Lee was not going to do that. With the other large contracts they have (Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard) and other players whose salaries will rise in the next year or more (Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino) there is simply no chance that the Phils could keep both Halladay and Lee, as much as the idea of such a dominating one-two punch in the starting rotation is enticing.

In essence, since there was an even exchange of prospects coming and going in these two trades, the Phils got Roy Halladay for the next 4 years, a few months' great work from Cliff Lee, and Ben Francisco for 4 minor leaguers (the number of players the Phils sent to Cleveland to get Lee). All in all, GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. did a fine job.This assessment may have to be adjusted if some of those ten minor leaguers involved in these trades become great major league players, but for now, well done.

My dream, about 6 1/2 months in the making, has come true.

You're welcome.