As part of acquiring Roy Halladay, the Phils GM Ruben Amaro apparently felt it necessary to ship out Cy Young Winner and World Series hero Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners for three minor league prospects. The three prospects the Phils got from Seattle were not as good as the prospects the Phils traded to Cleveland last summer to get Lee. Seattle also threw in Six Million Dollars.
Many in Philadelphia are criticizing this side of the trade. Although it does cut the payroll and restocks the farm system, the Phils had another year of Cliff Lee under contract, and consequently could have had a front line of Halladay, Lee and Hamels for the 2010 season, and only for about $9 million.
To put that in perspective, each of the 3.3 million fans who came to the ballpark this past year in Philly would simply have had to pony up just short of 3 bucks each to pay to have Lee stay.
If anyone had asked the fans, they would have paid to see him pitch another year in Philly.
Signing Halladay but letting Lee go doesn't really improve the Phillies substantially nor does it go for the jugular insofar as going after the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets, Cardinals or Braves. And the Phils still need another starter.
The Phils could have parted with a corner outfielder instead of Lee to get minor league prospects. Either Jayson Werth or Raul Ibanez was replaceable. You can't find pitchers like Cliff Lee so easily. He was a hero, a gamer and a winner. I'll hate to see him pitch for the Red Sox or Yankees eventually.
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