Roy Halladay to Philly: A Trade Breakdown
So the Philadelphia Phillies get perhaps the best pitcher in baseball in the form of Roy Halladay.
He’s been tremendously successful in the very difficult AL East. He misses bats and gets ground balls (which works really well in Philly) and ultimately, he’s the complete package as a pitcher with plus stuff, plus-plus command, and durability. He’s your definition of an innings eater.
But here’s the thing…how much better is he than Cliff Lee?
In many regards, the two pitchers are very alike…Halladay just does everything a little bit better with the biggest differences being that Lee is lefthanded and Halladay does a better job of keeping the ball on the ground.
But I’m sure track records came into play. Lee really came into his own only two years ago, while Halladay has been an elite pitcher for years. But in reality, Halladay is probably worth about a win or so more than Lee.
The prospects Philly received in the deal include:
Phillippe Aumont – A talented pitcher with a big arm, but he’s a reliever and he comes with questions about his durability.
Juan Ramirez – A potential starter that survived an extremely difficult pitcher’s environment in A+ High Desert, but he also didn’t stand out as much as the Mariners wanted. Some scouts see him as a reliever.
Tyson Gillies – A no-power, high contact blur on the bases. He profiles as a lead off type because of his ability to get on base. He’s probably a 4th outfielder when all is said and done.
Sent packing was:
Kyle Drabek – A potential front of the rotation starter that is more likely a solid No. 2 or a strong No. 3 than a No. 1 guy. I profiled him earlier in the year.
Travis d’Arnaud – A highly regarded catching prospect despite a disappointing season in 2009. A tad overrated maybe? I haven’t seen him much, but his numbers were pretty pedestrian for Single-A Lakewood and while he was young for his league, he wasn’t that young.
Michael Taylor – A solid, very close to MLB-ready outfield prospect. Taylor was included because the Phillies valued Domonic Brown — who plays the same position as Taylor — more. Taylor projects as an average to above average starting outfielder at the Major League level.
The Phillies ultimately got what they wanted out of this deal. They wanted to lock up an ace with a long term deal and they did that with Halladay. They weren’t confident they could get Lee to sign a long-term contract extension. And the contract they gave Halladay is actually a really good deal for Philly.
But it seems they got short changed on their return for Lee. None of the prospects they received are elite prospects and they all have question marks. Not exactly the most exciting package for a front of the rotation starter. I understand they needed to unload Lee for possible budget issues, but I think they could have gotten more. Still, an interesting read by David Cohen of The Good Phight, on what it would have taken for the Phillies to overcome their budget concerns and keep Lee in the fold.
For more reaction from the Philly’s point of view, here are some links:
For the Toronto Blue Jays, they get a pretty solid return for Halladay in Drabek, d’Arnaud, and Brett Wallace, the big-bodied 1b/3b whom they acquired from Oakland in exchange for Taylor. Maybe they could of squeezed one more prospect out of the Mariners, but when you consider the pressure the team was under to trade Halladay, they came away with a solid return.
The Wallace/Taylor swap made sense for both teams. Neither player has much more value than the other. Oakland needed to clear some of the glut of 1b/3b/DH types from their system, while Toronto has an opening at first base and third base if they don’t consider Edwin Encarnacion a long-term answer.
More reaction on Toronto’s end of the deal…
How did Oakland react to the Wallace/Taylor trade?
Nico from Athletics Nation looks at the deal emotionally and objectively before determining what’s next
The winner of this deal would have to be the Seattle Mariners. They acquire a front of the rotation starter for three solid, but not great prospects. In addition, Lee is a perfect fit for Seattle’s cavernous ball park, where he’ll have a wonderful defense working behind him. Some of the reaction on Seattle’s side of things:
Despite Seattle getting the best of this mega-deal, I can honestly say that no team comes out looking like a total loser. Yes, Philly made a really questionable deal to ship Lee to Seattle, but they did have their reasons…and they did get one of the — if not the — best pitcher in baseball. Nothing they did will prevent them from being contenders next season though with Lee in the fold, they may have been seen as the favorites.
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I can’t wait to see the Phillies new piching ace Roy Halladay. I’m so reved up I going on a Phillies Opening Day Road trip to Washington DC 4/5/10. It’s a 1:05PM game so I’m going to have to get up real early to leave from NE Philly. I’m going to levae the driving to some one easle and ride in a deluxe motor coach with adult beverages. Why don’t they jsut say Beer. Once I get there it’s all you can eat and drink. I hear its real food, not pork roll sandwiches with several flavors of adult beverages. Ther’s that phrase again. My seat in in the lower level of the outfield not a bad package for $100. I hear tickets are limited but if you want ot join me call 267-495-7722 and tell them Sid sent you. I hope to see you in the parking lot.