The Phillies are amazingly stupid and I can't even fathom why the media isn't blasting them for trading Cliff Lee and receiving Roy Halladay, so I will do the honors.
Everyone knew the Phillies needed to get a pitcher this off-season. But that was supposed to be a pitcher to throw along side Cliff Lee, not to replace him. Size it up from this view: You take Cliff Lee, ship him out and bring in a guy in Halladay who realistically is slightly better, slightly older, and will make a considerable amount more money. Even if you feel comfortable with the age, and the dollars, the Phillies still have the same hole in their rotation that essentially lost them the 2009 World Series (see Pedro).
Now, if you look at it from a different perspective, perhaps through the Phillies eyes, one can see a glimpse of logic. By acquiring Halladay, Philadelphia keeps the Mets stalled in the same situation. The Phils figure that by getting this ace for whatever it takes, they can trade their current ace (Cliff Lee) far, far away (to Seattle). This way, when Lee goes to free agency, the Mets can't snare him either. The Phillies probably feel confident that now, no matter what the Mets do, they will still have the upper hand, even if the Mets have a comparable offense. That makes some sense, but I think this trade is boneheaded.
Seattle on the other hand has given themselves a chance to be contenders for a while, and the Mariners will almost certainly win the AL West in 2010. Seattle now has Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee 1 and 2 in their rotation. That's two Cy Young guys and two dominant left handers for teams to contend with. Figure in that the Mariners were 85-77 last season and finished 2 games back of the Rangers for second place in the division. Then add the fact that the Angels, who won the division have lost Vladamir Guerrero, Chone Figgins and John Lackey and replaced all of the above with only Hidecki Matsui. Not good for the fans of Anaheim.
Bottom line is that the Phillies don't get worse, but they don't drastically improve themselves. The Mariners on the other hand are now the team to beat in the AL West and Toronto....well, we know they try hard....
Tidbits:
1) It's been pointed out to me that I've avoided the Tiger Woods drama. I apologize, but I think the other 5,000 or more news outlets out there can provide the coverage on this. I've got nothing to add, he cheated on his wife, he's going to lose his wife and he's not the guy we thought he was. Now, the sooner this divorce gets done the better, then we can start moving on and Mr. Woods can back on the course, which is what we all really care about anyway. So, for now I'll simply apologize for my transgressions and move on.
2) I've heard a wide range of opinions on Kellen Clemens performance against Tampa Bay on Sunday. Some say he stinks, others say he was average against a bad team, but I'm the only one so far who shares my opinion: he was encouraging. Early on he looked like he had the jitters, but as the game went on he got more comfortable and made some really nice throws. He's got good zip and a nice spiral and I thought he put some balls right on the money. There's almost no chance he starts another game for the Jets, but I hope some team gives him a shot down the road, I think he deserves it.
3) Mark my words: the Yankees will have Johnny Damon or Matt Holliday by the start of spring training. Take that to the bank.
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