Phillies Finally Get Their Ace: Cliff Lee, Not Roy Halladay, Headed to Philadelphia

The Phillies hope Cliff Lee can help them capture another World Series.

For a second straight year, the Cleveland Indians sent the reigning AL Cy Young award winner to a National League contender in a deadline deal. Last season the Indians shipped out C.C. Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers, this time around lefty Cliff Lee is packing his bags for Philadelphia after Wednesday morning’s trade. The Phillies had been part of the Roy Halladay sweepstakes over the past few days, but with the team at an impasse with Toronto and little progress being made, Philadelphia decided to shift its focus to Cleveland’s star southpaw. The Indians didn’t ask for any of the prospects that the Phillies were unwilling to part with in negotiations with the Blue Jays, and a deal was quickly struck that sent Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco to Philadelphia in return for minor leaguers Jason Knapp, Lou Marson, Carlos Carrasco and and Jason Donald. The trade will be finalized pending physical examinations (just turn your head and cough please).

The Indians had high hopes of competing for an AL Central title in 2009 but quickly fell out of contention, leading to speculation that the team would try and move Lee before the deadline. Lee stumbled out of the gate but improved with each passing month, and had posted a 3-0 record with a 1.44 ERA since the All-Star break. At the time of the trade Philadelphia was seven games ahead of the Florida Marlins in the NL East, but were only 13th in the league in ERA as a team, and had largely been carried by their modern day Murderer’s Row of Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez. Last year’s World Series hero Cole Hamels has been inconsistent for Philly all season, and with #2 starter Brett Myers still on the DL, the team was anxious to bolster their starting rotation in hopes of capturing back-to-back Fall Classics. This move likely vaults Philadelphia above Los Angeles as the favorites to capture the NL pennant and the team was able to do so without forfeiting Kyle Drabek or Dominic Brown, two of the organizations best and most prized prospects. Like Halladay, Cliff Lee is controlled through next season, meaning that the lefty can help the Phillies in two pennant races and isn’t simply a two-to-three month rental as is the case in many deadline deals (like Sabathia last year). Philadelphia hopes that Lee is the final piece of the puzzle in their march towards becoming the first team to win two straight World Series since the Yankees ten years ago.

18-year-old Jason Knapp is believed to have the greatest potential of the players acquired by Cleveland.

For the Cleveland Indians this latest move is a historic, though not necessarily a good, as they become the first team in baseball to trade away Cy Young winners midseason in back-to-back years. The Lee deal is strangely similiar to last year’s Sabathia deal, as both seasons the Tribe was expected to push for the playoffs but struggled early and decided to move their best pitcher. Though they didn’t get Drabek or Brown, Cleveland still received 4 of the top 10 prospects in the Philadelphia organization, and stocked up for a run at the AL Central in 2010 or 2011. Lou Marson is a good-hitting catcher who is expected take over for Victor Martinez if the Indians trade Martinez before the deadline or in the offseason. Jason Donald is a fundamentally sound shortstop, Carlos Carrasco could be a middle of the rotation starter and 18-year-old Jason Knapp is rumored to have better stuff than Drabek. Some scouts are already criticizing this move, saying that Cleveland got too little in return for Lee, but the organization has a good track record in dealing star pitchers. After all, Cleveland pulled off one of the greatest heists in recent history, trading Bartolo Colon for a young Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips in 2002. If this group of prospects turns out anything like Lee, Sizemore and Phillips, the Indians could be contenders for the next decade in the Central.

Another day, another big deal in baseball as the trade deadline fast approaches. Philadelphia sets themselves up as the favorites in the NL and Cleveland stocks up for the future as they send yet another Cy Young to the Senior Circuit. Will Lee make the impact that Sabathia did for the Brewers? Does this move mean Halladay is staying put, or is their another destination for Toronto’s ace? Stay tuned, the baseball season is just heating up.