Happy Halladays?

OK, I haven’t done any baseball posts in a while. And I realize the readership that has been coming to the site recently isn’t probably the baseball crowd…

… but I need to do something here.

The rumors are floating around that Roy Halladay, arguably the best pitcher in baseball, is coming to the Phillies in a three-team trade involving Toronto and Seattle. That also means Cliff Lee is on his way out of Philly (apparently, they are trying to avoid the realization that they might not be able to sign him when he becomes a free agent after next year), but Halladay will be locked up for a few years as he’s apparently going to sign an extension.

I like Roy Halladay coming to Philly. I really do.

But I’m left scratching my head at some of the prospects leaving Philly, being at least one of them was on the untouchable list for Halladay this summer. It also seems like the Lee deal to Seattle is only for salary relief and I don’t think what they are getting in return comes close to matching what they gave up for him at the trade deadline.

I realize baseball teams operate with budgets. I really do. But I think you should be able to OK a bit of an extension for one year to know you could have one of the best, if not THE best rotation in baseball for a year.

Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Blanton, Happ.

Ouch.

Would Lee be gone as a free agent next year? Sure. Offer him arbitration and get the draft picks.

This is all possible if it seems like the Phillies are shipping the prospects to Toronto and Seattle is shipping prospects to Philly. If that’s true, then axe Seattle, send them a card and a boquet of flowers as an apology and keep the killer rotation.

Now, if there’s some prospect going to Toronto as part of this, then scratch it as it seems like that would have been needed. But nothing I’ve been reading points to that. All the big reporters are saying it seems to be a Toronto/Philly deal, then Philly/Seattle. If that’s so, then it makes no sense. ESPECIALLY if the reports that the Jays are sending like $6M toward Philly to help pay for this year of Halladay!

I’ll wait to see how this pans out, but I’ll be excited if the Phils are getting Doc.

It is, after all, the Halladay Season!

More later!