Phightins

Kyle Drabek had Tommy John surgery a couple years ago as well. Also, Michael Taylor had absolutely no future here and does not have nearly as high a ceiling as Dom Brown (I still have no idea why the Jays didn't demand Brown be part of the trade). And Travis D'Arnaud? I am sure the Phillies were thrilled when the Jays asked that he be the final piece of the deal. The Jays have loved him for a while now, for some reason. He is middle of the road at best. The package we got back (Aumont, Gillies, and Ramirez) is almost as good as what we gave up (Drabek, Taylor, and D'Arnaud). Whatever difference there may be was certainly made up for with the fact that we now have Halladay for at least 4 years, while it would have just been 1 and done for Lee. As for why they didn't do this in July. In July, Roy Halladay did not want to sign an extension right away. He had the approach Cliff Lee has right now, he wanted to get to free agency. He had a change of heart at some point between then and now. Essentially, Doc completely drove the bus with this trade. Also, I think Phillies fans will love this even more come next year when Lee gets his new contract. The Halladay contract will look like a bargain.

Simple: They do not have a $160 million budget. Apparently they tried to deal Joe Blanton first, but they could not find somebody willing to take his entire salary and give enough back to make it worth it. They figured they were going to lose Lee anyway so they wanted to pick up another premier pitcher so that they do not miss a step in the next 3-4 years (which most would agree is the "window" for this current group to win). So since they were going to lose Lee anyway and they wanted Halladay, they decided to recoup the prospects they lost to trade for Doc.

It isn't really stupid for Seattle. Worst case is they don't sign him long term/trade him at the deadline, and they lose him to free agency and get two very high compensation picks in the 2011 draft for him. It's the money-ball philosophy.

Probably Drabek but it's close. They both have a history of injuries too. Drabek had Tommy John and Aumont has also had elbow problems I think. Who knows who will have a better MLB career. As a whole, the group the Phillies are sending to Toronto is probably better than the group we are getting from Seattle, but I don't think it's that big of a difference.

Not sure how close Aumont is. He was just drafted two years ago and has never pitched as a starter above high-A so I'd imagine he is still a year or 2 off at best. But it depends if they leave him in the bullpen or not (he has pitched as a closer in AA). It usually takes relief pitchers a shorter time to get through the minors than it takes starters. And Brown is not in the trade.

The Flyers claimed Michael Leighton off waivers from Carolina (welcome back!). So much for John Grahame I guess.

Phillippe Aumont is awesome. I have heard him called a "right-handed Randy Johnson". Real big guy with a power arm. Seattle had moved him to the bullpen but I have a feeling he will become a starter again here. I don't know a whole lot about Tyson Gillies but I have heard he is a hard-nosed, blue collar type guy. Was never that big of a prospect through high school, but has turned himself into one. Not much power but he hit .341 with a .430 OBP and 44 stolen bases in high-A this past year. The third guy we are getting from Seattle is Juan Ramirez and I would be lying if I said I knew anything about him. He is a young right handed pitcher, looks like he has struggled a bit in pro-ball so far. Apparently he is also a hard-thrower. I will read more about him in the coming days. As for what we are giving up, it obviously hurts to lose Kyle Drabek, but it hurts a lot less now that we are getting Aumont too. IMO, it has been inevitable that Taylor was going to be traded for a while now. They like Dom Brown a lot, and most feel he has a higher ceiling than Taylor. Taylor is MLB ready now, and obviously is blocked in all 3 outfield spots here, so this is a good thing for him since he is going to get a chance to play. I actually read that Toronto plans to trade him to Oakland for Brett Wallace, so I guess Taylor will get that chance to play in Oakland. The other prospect we're giving up, Travis D'Arnaud, everybody was super-high on him at the beginning of this year when Carlos Ruiz was a question mark. Now that Ruiz has proven to be a legit MLB starting catcher who is still relatively young, we don't really need to have a great catching prospect. So, it seems like the Phillies are giving up a ton, but when you break it down it's not as much as it seems at first. It's basically swapping 1 year of Cliff Lee for 4 (or more) years of Roy Halladay, all while keeping the farm system relatively in tact.

As of now it doesn't look like it but I have no idea, things can change by the time this goes official. I have heard SO many different possibilities today, I sort of gave up trying to figure out what's real.

We won't know for sure for a while. Latest report has the Phillies getting Roy Halladay, Phillippe Aumont, and Tyson Gillies (two of Seattle's better prospects), the Mariners getting Cliff Lee, and the Blue Jays getting Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor, and Travis D'Arnaud (all from the Phillies).

Latest word is that Aumont is still in the deal but is going....to the Phillies? WTF. I wish they'd just announce this already. This has the potential to be the trade of the century.

I am not going to say I feel sorry for you, since the Flyers have been going through that for the past month. It is about time we catch a damn break. Also, I listened to the game on the radio so I have no comment about that play.

The Flyers beat a very good team on the road, the Sixers win by 16 points, and the Phillies are on the verge of trading for the pitcher of the decade. What is the world coming to?

That is all I can think of that makes sense. Giving Lee and Drabek in the same deal seems very fishy.

Clearly nobody knows what is happening, and it is just a bunch of reporters throwing out random bull[expletive] that they are hearing from "sources". We will not know what is actually happening until the trade is officially announced, so I give up!

Also... Per MLBTR... And the confusion continues!

Apparently Kyle Drabek is in the deal. The two prospects the Phillies are supposedly getting from Seattle better be special.

I think it is, but I want to wait and see which prospects are involved. I heard that the idea of getting Lee involved came when Lee told the Phillies he would be seeking a CC Sabathia-esque contract.

It sounds like it will be a 4 year extension.

Still tons of question marks about this. We will probably know nothing for certain until tomorrow.

Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal are saying that Phillippe Aumont and Michael Taylor are among the guys going to Toronto. Aumont makes a lot of sense since he's from Quebec, I am sure the Jays love the idea of having him for marketing purposes.

But yes, we will most likely be trading some prospects. I am hearing Michael Taylor.

It is not a matter of what the Mariners want, it's a matter of what Halladay wants. He would not approve a deal to Seattle, and Philadelphia is his number 1 choice.

Obviously Amaro felt they had no chance to resign Cliff Lee, so he went out and got another elite pitcher so they do not miss a beat when Lee signs with Boston or New York next winter. Around here everybody is going to be pissed off about Lee leaving, but it makes a lot of sense. Plus we get to keep our prospects (I'd assume, I have not seen all of the names being traded).

Not really. First of all, Halladay is a lot better than Lee. Second of all, Lee does not want to be here long term, Halladay does. It comes down to that.

The trade is done, as I posted in the other thread. Lee to Seattle, Halladay to Philadelphia.