Monday, December 14, 2009

Blockbuster Deals Heat Up Hot Stove

...but the Dodgers are still out in the cold:

Phils, Ms, Blue Jays Agree On Halladay-Cliff Lee Blockbuster (MLBTR)

Red Sox, John Lackey Reach Agreement (MLBTR)

Are the Phillies the Yankees of the NL? Or is it folly to trade Cliff Lee for the older, playoff experience-lacking Halladay?

UPDATE: The Angels make a little noise:

Angels, Hideki Matsui Reach Agreement (MLBTR)

19 comments:

NicJ said...

The only blockbuster deals Ned is working on is the 2 for 1 used DVD sale down at the video rental.


PS I hate the red sox. They are just as bad as the Yankees.

Anonymous said...

I've always thought Halladay was better than Lee, but this deal doesn't make the Phils THAT much better. Halladay's a slight upgrade over an already very good pitcher, but he's also older and they are going to have to give up prospects.

I'm not happy to see Roy go to Philly, but it doesn't really make me any more scared of the Phills.

Jimbo said...

What if instead of Lee to the Mariners, it is Hamels instead? . . . TWISTED! Try to keep up.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

HULK SMASH!!!

Josh S. said...

Godzilla attacks Anaheim.

rbnlaw said...

@Josh: YIKES! Better call home.

Lackey signing for 5y/$85M is a steal. Signing with the Botox is a big FU to Arte and the Lost Angels.

Now, about those Rule 5 draftees we got. . .

Nostradamus said...

The Sox are one step closer to cornering the market on chapped-ass Texan pitchers. Kerry Wood better watch his ass (so long as it isn't already in a sling)

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

Carlos Monasterios will save us all!

Anonymous said...

Josh Towers>Roy Halladay

Greg Zakwin said...

I'd rather have Halladay than Lee, but I'd rather have Kershaw and Bills followed by the the likes of Withrow, Ethan Martin, and Gould.

Dr. Geek- I'd take Hamels over Lee any day of the week.

Anonymous said...

From MLB trade rumors....

7:04pm: Drabek and "other top [Phillies] prospects" will be involved in the deal, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (via Twitter). According to Salisbury, Brown will remain with the club.

6:55pm: J.A. Happ and Joe Blanton took physicals and could be a part of the deal, writes Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press. Domonic Brown also took a physical today, who is said to be coveted by the Jays.



PLUS Lee? LOL. I might end up liking this deal!

Ryan said...

I don't get how sending Cliff Lee to the Mariners and prospects to the Blue Jays, in exchange for Halladay makes sense for the Phils.

I mean after the way Lee performed for the Phils, how could you expect to see an upgrade? I'm a big Halladay fan. Guy is a beast. But would I trade Cliff Lee AND prospects for him? I don't think so.

If it's Hammels that's going to Seattle in the trade, then even better for the M's. Cole will bounce back in 2010. I'd say his changeup is 2nd best in baseball to Johan. Oh, and he's only 26.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

Phillie thought it had a better shot at signing an extension with Halladay, and the Doc was their pitcher of choice at the deadline, with Lee being Plan-B. I'd say this move is more about the Phillies getting the guy they wanted for a long-term deal more than anything else. I don't see Philly being able to make this trade without moving Lee, which kinda sucks for him, though I'd pick Seattle as the team most likely to turn around.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

I'll take Lee over Hamels six ways from Sunday, especially in the NL.

NicJ said...

If I were Lee I would be stoked about going from a ridiculous hitters park to a great pitchers park. Especially on a contract year.

Unknown said...

What blows my mind is this...

The Jays are apparently, as of now, getting three prospects from the Phillies: A-ball catcher, AA outfielder, and AAA pitcher... AND paying $6 million of Doc's contract... AND Kyle Drabek, the pitcher, has already had Tommy John surgery.

And they wanted CHAD BILLINGSLEY and others from us?

rbnlaw said...

If this deal points out anything to me, it's this; the other GM's in baseball don't respect Ned Colletti's intelligence. Making him dangle our TOP prospects for older, yet dominant, pitchers when other teams seem to get them for a couple of A ball players and a dozen balls?

C'mon. Throw away one top catching prospect to save a couple mill, and you're branded as a sucker for the rest of your career.

Greg Zakwin said...

Justin- And the Phills gets a pretty good pitching prospect from Seattle. I still don't understand Seattle doing this, but fuck it, it's not the Dodgers, so I don't give a shit.

Oh, and I refuse to call this a 3-team-trade, they're two separate deals that just so happen to include one team being a part of each deal.

rbnlaw said...

Thank gawd for the Angels this off-season. If one team makes the Dodgers and Colletti look brilliant, it's the Angels. All they've done is allow two of their best walk away and not do a thing to replace them. With the FA "A" list rapidly getting shorter, the Angels are left to either trade (I can see a deal with the Botox for Beckett), or pick over the bones on the "B" list.

At least we still have Kemp and Ethier in the outfield and Bills and Kershaw on the mound.