12/21/24
December 14, 2009
Three-Way Trade in the Works for Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay: The Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a three-team trade with the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays that would send pitcher Roy Halladay to the Phils, pitcher Cliff Lee to the Mariners and prospects to the Jays, SI.com is reporting.
RT @jperrotto:
Source: Toronto getting Phil Aumont and Dominic Brown in 3-way Halladay/Lee deal involving SEA/PHIL and TOR
Aumont is a monster. I still remember his scoreless inning at the WBC this year.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 04:51 PM on December 14, 2009
As a Blue Jay fan, I hope this is true.
Doc deserves a chance to play on a championship calibre team.
It will obviously be a big loss to the Blue Jays organization, but also to the city of Toronto. One of the classiest athletes ever to represent a professional sports team based in Toronto. Roy and his wife were extremely active with Sick Kids Hospital & the Toronto & Area Food Bank, amongst other charities. Doc's Box was used every game to provide an outing for children at Sick Kids(and their families) . The best pitcher, possibly best player ever to wear the Blue Jay uniform.
I have a man-crush on Roy, I'm not ashamed to admit it.
posted by tommybiden at 04:57 PM on December 14, 2009
Will the Phillies be receiving prospects in return as well?
Halladay may be a better pitcher than Lee but I don't think the difference is great enough to warrant sending away several quality prospects.
Edit: Does my text appear small or is it just my computer?
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:02 PM on December 14, 2009
Small. Hey, So does mine !
posted by tommybiden at 05:05 PM on December 14, 2009
Source: Toronto getting Phil Aumont and Dominic Brown in 3-way Halladay/Lee deal involving SEA/PHIL and TOR
There has to be more than that. I can't see how Seattle gets Cliff Lee and only gives up Phil Aumont. That would be a MASSIVE steal on their part. I think there is at least one more player involved from Seattle. If I had to guess, it would be fellow Canadian Michael Saunders.
Also, I've heard that it was Michael Taylor, not Brown, that was shipped out of Philly with Lee.
posted by grum@work at 05:12 PM on December 14, 2009
There's apparently some money going from Toronto to Phil to compensate them for part of Halladay's salary.
It seems like a weird upgrade for Philly; perhaps Lee wasn't interested in an extension? Considering the way he pitched last postseason, to trade him to get Halladay, who has no post-season experience, seems odd.
That said, it'll be sad to see Halladay go. I hope the prospects work out because I can only get so enthused about John Buck (a poor man's Rod Barajas).
posted by dfleming at 05:30 PM on December 14, 2009
I'm just happy they're not trading his ass to the Yankees. I know that it shouldn't matter that much, but I just hate the damn idea.
No JA Happ? No Drabek? Phillies are making out like bandits on this.
Aumont does look good though. And he's close. Jays fans are going to need to see at least one of these guys soon.
I too have a man crush on Halladay. On that Phillies team, he should be a lock for 20 wins and a sub three ERA. Not to mention 240 innings. I bet he even starts to hit a bit. Guy can do no wrong.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:04 PM on December 14, 2009
It seems like a weird upgrade for Philly; perhaps Lee wasn't interested in an extension?
Lee had apparently made it pretty clear he was going to test the FA market after the upcoming season. The word is he's looking for CC Sabathia money, and if Philly can get the best pitcher in the game signed at less dough, why not?
posted by wfrazerjr at 11:35 PM on December 14, 2009
My understanding is that this is really a series of two deals and not a true three way trade. Phillies send a bit of their farm (including top prospect Drabek) to the Jays for Halladay and sign him to a three-year deal/extension. Phillies trade Lee to Mariners for a couple of prospects (including Aumont).
posted by holden at 12:13 AM on December 15, 2009
As of late Monday, Toronto is getting Travis d'Arnaud, Michael Taylor and Kyle Drabek. That's a little better.
posted by dfleming at 07:17 AM on December 15, 2009
What I've realized is that GM Alex needs to be commended for this deal; he inherited a shitty situation and avoided having to see Halladay more than twice a year. He seemed painted into a corner with shrinking options (given the Yankees' trade for Granderson and Lackey signing in Boston) and came out (if Drabek is indeed included) looking pretty rosy.
posted by dfleming at 11:32 AM on December 15, 2009
I am VERY happy to see Seattle finally make some off-season baseball moves. Chone Figgins and Cliff Lee are great additions to Seattle and definitely moves in the right direction. Figgins will be a nice fit at the #2 spot behind Ichiro in my opinion and Lee in the rotation is an exciting prospect alongside Felix Hernandez. And the rumors are that Jason Bay could possibly be coming back to the northwest as The Angels might be out of the bidding after signing Matsui and the Mets are....well....the Mets.
Does hope spring eternal in the Emerald city?
posted by THX-1138 at 11:36 AM on December 15, 2009
This seems good for Toronto and for Seattle but I still don't get it for Philly. I understand the concerns about 2011 and going forward and think it's great for them that they locked up Halladay, but I still haven't seen any good reason why they couldn't have still kept Lee for 2010 too and been a powerhouse. Lee isn't expensive and if they're really not willing to pay $8m over budget to have that huge advantage, they have several ways they could've cleared that 8m from their books. Why did giving up on signing Lee for 2011-on have to mean he couldn't stick around for the last year of the current deal?
posted by Bernreuther at 12:20 PM on December 15, 2009
IIRC, keeping Lee would have put the Phillies at around $160M this year, and even if you're chasing a title, I don't think Philadelphia can eat that.
posted by wfrazerjr at 12:29 PM on December 15, 2009
IIRC, keeping Lee would have put the Phillies at around $160M this year, and even if you're chasing a title, I don't think Philadelphia can eat that.
Side note: Back in 2001, the Phillies received $11million in revenue sharing (seventh most in the league at that time).
posted by grum@work at 12:47 PM on December 15, 2009
This seems good for Toronto and for Seattle but I still don't get it for Philly. I understand the concerns about 2011 and going forward and think it's great for them that they locked up Halladay, but I still haven't seen any good reason why they couldn't have still kept Lee for 2010 too and been a powerhouse. Lee isn't expensive and if they're really not willing to pay $8m over budget to have that huge advantage, they have several ways they could've cleared that 8m from their books. Why did giving up on signing Lee for 2011-on have to mean he couldn't stick around for the last year of the current deal?
In addition to what wfrazerjr said, they also were giving up a fair bit of the top end of their system to get Halladay, and this series of deals ensures that they restock the farm in part instead of letting Lee go for draft picks at the end of the coming season.
posted by holden at 12:50 PM on December 15, 2009
I heard a rumor that Toronto will swap Michael Taylor for Oakland's Brett Wallace, possibly giving them a third basemen for the future.
posted by dfleming at 01:26 PM on December 15, 2009
At this point I'm pretty much just refreshing DJF every five minutes. Also, Twitter.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 01:49 PM on December 15, 2009
Same here. That site rocks ass.
posted by wfrazerjr at 04:04 PM on December 15, 2009
IIRC, keeping Lee would have put the Phillies at around $160M this year, and even if you're chasing a title, I don't think Philadelphia can eat that.
I'm certainly guilty, as a Yankee fan, of a bit of "what's $8m when you're over 150 anyway" thinking, but I believe it was Buster Olney who listed several realistic ways they could've shed that 8 million elsewhere. Seems like it would've been prudent to consider that, even if they were short a few prospects.
I'm also of the opinion that a year with those two together might be worth whatever downgrade in value there is between the two guys they got back and whoever they'd take with the pick(s) received after Lee signs next year. But that's just my guess. I don't really track minor leaguers all that much, nor do I really buy into the Fangraphs/Cameron model of valuation.
posted by Bernreuther at 08:29 PM on December 15, 2009
Drunk Jays Fans are reporting that we won't have real confirmation for at least a couple of days. Doc needs to give his assent, and the docs need to give theirs.
Frustrating to not know what prospects are involved, but I guess it's better than the J.P. Media Travelling Circus where Anything GoesTM.