Sunday, July 26, 2009

Phillies should trade for Halladay

Reports say that the Philadelphia Phillies balked at what the Toronto Blue Jays wanted for ace Roy Halladay. The Jays wanted pitchers J.A. Happ, Kyle Drabek and outfielder Dominic Brown.

The Phillies should take this deal. They will probably still end up with Halladay, but if they do not, they are going to regret it.

Apparently the dealbreaker is the pairing of Happ and Drabek. I do not care how promising they are, the chances they become comparible to Halladay are slim.

Right now, Happ has eight career wins in 17 major league starts. Drabek has not pitched in AAA ball, let alone the majors. Halladay has 274 career starts, 144 wins and 44 complete games.

What is the hold up, Phillies?

Another reason I would take this deal in a second is that Halladay is under contract through next season. He is not a rent-a-player. If the Phillies get him, they are going to be the favorites to win the World Series for the next two seasons.

If that is not enough, here is another factor to think about. Philadelphia is not a small market like Toronto. The Philles could give Halladay an extension and lock him up for his career.

Wait, there is more. Halladay has such an effect on his team's pitching staff. Every pitcher in Philly will benefit from having him around. His work ethic is second to none, he gets to the stadium before anyone and he is a professional. Have you ever heard Halladay complaining about his run support, his coaches or his contract in the media? No, you have not, and you will not.

Promising prospects are nice, but pitchers like Halladay do not come around very often. The Phillies better pull the trigger or they will be kicking themselves later.

Sun City - Artists United Against Apartheid
Tell me Bono does not look like a werewolf in this video.

9 comments:

  1. Nice post, and I agree they should do anything to get Halladay. where is the song?

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  2. Yes, the Phillies should get Halladay. However, why give away the best of your farm system when you are the only serious suitor out there contrary to what everyone else is saying because Riccardi has overplayed his hand. The Angels appear to be out again (which is surprising because what Riccardi asked for from them in Saunders, Aybar, Wood and a prospect would be a steal for Anaheim),and the Dodgers don't have the prospects.

    The Jays have to deal Halladay, because Riccardi has reached the point of no return. Every move/statement Riccardi has made in the media is a desperate sign of trying to get the Phillies to overpay. Why give your top two prospects and a valuable, cheap major league contributor when you are in esscence bidding against yourself right now.

    Yes the Red Sox could jump in, but lets be honest they need a hitter in the worst way right now, in order to try and not be caught by Tampa Bay for the wild card.

    Ultimately it gets done in one of three forms:
    1-Drabek as the front of a package
    2-Happ/Brown as the front of a package
    3-Drabek/Happ as the main package

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  3. The Yanks or Sox could jump in last minute. I don't care what reports say, any time a big name is on the block, those two teams are always players.

    Maybe Riccardi has overplayed his hand, but there is the chance Halladay goes somewhere that is not Philly and the Phillies missed out because they were unwilling to move prospects.

    You have no idea what Drabek will do in the majors. He could be very good, or he could be Homer Bailey. Happ is having a good season, but this is his first year in the majors as a starter, he could stink next year and be in AAA. You know what you are getting with Halladay. I take that deal in a heartbeat. Halladay in the NL with that lineup would scare the crap out of any team they face.

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  4. I personally would not give up all three. Two of the three should and I think ultimately get it done. If I was Riccardi I would want Brown, because he may give him some job security since he is in High A, and therefore the trade couldnt be judged for awhile on the Jays end.

    Yes the Yanks and Sox could jump in last minute, but the Yanks a)don't have much of a farm system and b)have been told it requires Joba and Hughes, c)they cant move Hughes because he has finally solved their 8th inning problems and d)Joba is actually pitching well although it was against Oakland and Detroit, two of the weakest lineups in baseball. I still think the Sox pony up for a hitter.

    I think if Halladay goes somewhere else it is for a package that is not as good which will cause Riccardi to get fired (which some may be happy about).

    Latest ESPN report by Stark says Jays turned down Happ, Taylor, Donald and Carrasco. Sub Brown in for Taylor and Riccardi will have something to think long and hard about because if he holds him for the rest of the year, he will get a return similar to what the Twins got for Santana and that will certainly cost him his job.

    Its a game of chicken and it will be interesting to see who blinks first because somebody will.

    BTW, like the song choice, that mullet is bad in the video. Also, Mr. Nathan got engaged.

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  5. The Phillies found an obviously better pitcher to try and trade for...Zach Duke. That's right, I said it.

    Deal with it.

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  6. I agree Rickel. The Phillies don't spend what the Yankees do, but they can hang pretty well in the free agent market, making prospects less important. The thought of Halladay in the NL is pretty scary. In my mind, if they get Halladay they would go from playoff team with a questionable pitching staff to the clear favorites. Happ is looking like a great pitcher, but they have a chance to make their playoff rotation, Halladay-Hamels-Blanton instead of Hamels-Happ-Blanton. That is a HUGE difference.

    Zanic, if it were me I would go after Josh Fogg. What a great guy.

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  7. Jeff

    Sadly Keith Law agrees with you he thinks the Phillies were nuts to turn down what they did. Then again he always seems to go out of his way to trash the Phillies farm system.

    So while you may agree with Keith Law on this one, I dont view you as the scum of the earth that he is.

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