PHILLIES: Starting Off Strong

So, it appears that the era of the 4 aces and overwhelming expectations has gotten off to a pretty solid start.

With the first week of the MLB season coming to a close, the Phillies are sitting at 4-1 in their first 5 games, with Thursday’s series-finale rubbermatch against the Mets hanging in the balance.

Yes. I am well aware that we are only 5 games, or roughly 3%, through the season.

But, considering Chase Utley, Brad Lidge, and top prospect Domonic Brown have been out action since the first pitch was thrown at Citizens Bank Park last Thursday, the opportunity to win five out of their first six games would go a long way to silencing any critics who said that the Phillies season was doomed from when Cliff Lee signed that dotted line in December.

Speaking of Lee ( 7 IP, 4 H, 3 ER. 11 K’s in a 9-4 win over the Houston Astros), he was just one of quite a few Phillies that have stood out so far.

(Statistics accurate as of 4/7)

Ryan Howard: For all those who were worried that the Big Piece’s production would suffer with the absence of Utley in the lineup, let’s just hope the first week was not just an admiration. Howard is what baseball scouts would like to call “locked in” at the plate right now. So far, the Phillies 1B and cleanup hitter is 11-for-21 (.524) with 2 HR, and is already leading the National League in RBI’s with 8. The only blemish for Howard is that, like usual, the strikeouts are not hard to come by (6 in 5 games).

Placido Polanco: Was a little worried about Polly going into the season. Getting up there in age, had off-season elbow surgery, production diminished greatly at the back end of the 2010 season. However, like last season, Polanco has gotten off to a scorching hot start. However, in contrast to 2010, where a power was the story for Polanco, a .450 BA with 4 RBI’s and a .522 OBP has made him quite the catalyst in the early going for the Phillies.

Ben Francisco: Talk about making the most of an opportunity. In the absence of Domonic Brown, who is scheduled to return later this month after undergoing surgery for a broken hambone, Francisco has absolutely been tearing the cover off the ball so far during this 2011 campaign. While his .333 BA, 2 HR, 5 RBI’s says a lot, it is impossible for a simple statline to include 2-3 balls hit that were knocked down by the wind at Citizens Bank Park that would have been as good as gone if they were hit in June or July.

Honorable Mentions: Jimmy Rollins (.368 BA hitting out of the 3-hole), Raul Ibanez (.300 BA, 4 RBI’s), Wilson Valdez ( .294 BA, 2 RBI’s), Roy Oswalt (6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 K’s in first start), Antonio Bastardo ( 1-0, 1 Hold, 2.2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 3 K’s)

PHILLIES: Week 1 Notes From Clearwater

With the national media departing finally from Clearwater and moving south to Jupiter, Florida where the whole Albert Pujols fiasco is starting to sort out, it’s time to finally time to get down to talking about some, you know, actual baseball stuff instead of the subjective discussions that have recently coincided with the hype and expectations surrounding the Phillies.

- For all those worried about Dom Brown’s winter, don’t be. Apparently, in addition to spending the last two months completely changing his stance, he also added about 10 pounds of muscle according to Phillies Daily News Writer David Murphy, transforming his arms into “pythons”.  I’m now sure how the latter translates into all-around baseball success, but the fact that their is visible proof of Brown’s hard work in the off-season leads me to believe that he’s in the mindset that the RF job is his to lose. And it’s a correct mindset at that.

- A noticeable absence from Clearwater this past week has been longtime Phillies reliever Chad Durbin. Durbin, who was one of the longest tenured Phillies before the organization failed to renew his contract after last season, is still a topic conversation in the clubhouse. For example, players such as Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson have publicly taken time this week to lobby for his return in the media. You don’t see that very often. Unfortunately for them, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen right now. Those to look out for that are in contention for his 7th inning role and spot in the bullpen include Kyle Kendrick (who doesn’t quite have place in the starting rotation now with the evolution of R2C2), the much-maligned Danys Baez, and a couple relatively new names such as Vance Worley and Michael Schwimer.

- Ok, here is one thing of note surrounding all the Phillies hype. As I was peering through Twitter yesterday, I noticed that the highly-regarded FOX Sports baseball insider Ken Rosenthal predicted  that one of the Phillies “Fab Four” of starting pitchers would win the 2011 NL Cy Young Award. However, it wasn’t the incumbent NL Cy Young Roy Halladay. Or Cliff Lee. Or even Roy Oswalt. It was actually the Phillies projected 4th starter, 27-year old southpaw Cole Hamels. While it may not be the popular choice amongst the group, do not forget, this guy owns the most recognizable hardware out of any of the four aces. A World Series ring.

For anything else you want to know, just click on the following video.

PHILLIES: Top Ten Starting Pitchers Debate

In the wake of the R2C2 + Big Joe press conference today at Brighthouse Field, I just want to touch on something that Phillies MLB.COM Beat Writer Todd Zolecki wrote about during his initial coverage down in Clearwater.

With the start of Spring Training action looming, the MLB Network recently released their list of the “Top Ten Starting Pitchers” for the 2011 season.

While it was with no real surprise that two particular Phillies were able to land spots on the lists, the order of which they appeared was a bit perplexing.

Halladay is the cream of the crop of Starting Pitchers in baseball.

Well, one of them at least.

Take a look for yourself.

(From MLB Network)

10. Josh Johnson

9. Justin Verlander

8. Adam Wainwright.

7. Cliff Lee

6. David Price

5. Jon Lester

4. CC Sabathia

3. Tim Lincecum

2. Felix Hernandez

1. Roy Halladay

First off, the case against Halladay is almost unarguable. Being the proud owner of a perfect-game, another no-hitter in his first ever playoff appearance, and an NL Cy Award in 2010 provides way too much evidence to the contrary.

However, where Lee sits can certainly be argued.

To give MLB Network the benefit of the doubt, on paper, Lee hasn’t been able to match up statistically with the others on the list, especially over the past two season.

Since his 2008 AL Cy Young Award winning season with the Indians, he has a 26-22 overall regular season record while spending his time in Cleveland, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Texas. To put that into perspective, those with just as many wins or more over that time span include Ricky Romero, Jon Danks, and even ex-Phillie Vicente Padilla.

Obviously not bad company, but not elite by any stretch of the imagination.

With that said, taking into account hype generated about Lee with his production in the playoffs and the way he decided to go back to Philadelphia, ranking him behind both Jon Lester and David Price is a little difficult to comprehend. Do not get me wrong, Price and Lester are TREMENDOUS pitchers. They are the clear aces of their respective rotations, and are more than worthy of a spot on this list. All I am saying is Lester’s lack of postseason success (2-3 record, 4.00+ E.R.A) combined with the fact that Price only has one full season of being a MLB starting pitcher under his belt should be put under a much greater microscope in my opinion.

Well, at least more than Lee’s subpar regular season win total over the last 24 months while he was a part of two struggling franchises for a large majority of that time.

Besides the Lee ranking, the utter disrespect of Josh Johnson (should be considered a top 5 pitcher) and the notable absence of Ubaldo Jimenez (read the names three times to make sure I didn’t just miss him) on the list could also make for great discussions and further blog posts.

For another time.

PHILLIES: A Preview Before the Preview

As pitchers and catchers have made their way down to Clearwater and the friendly confines of Brighthouse Field, most who care about such a movement would also take that as a sign that the 2011 baseball season is finally starting to take form.

From the perspective of a certain baseball enthusiast/blogger, there isn’t much in the way of news that could be considered more of a breath of fresh air.

In fact, that could probably the best news in, give or take, three months and 13 days.

For those who are wondering and are too lazy to do some simple math or a google search, that was when the 2010 Baseball campaign officially ended as the San Francisco Giants were crowned as World Series champs.

With that said, a Spring Training preview will be up shortly, breaking down everything from..

Beautiful sight, isn't it?

1. Is Joe Blanton going to remain in the fold as the Phillies 5th starter behind R2C2?

2. Will Dominic Brown be able to beat out Ben Francisco and John Mayberry Jr. for the everyday RF job?

3. How will the bullpen shape up without Chad Durbin?

4. Expectations, expectations, and more expectations..

5. Everything else.

Such a breakdown, however, will all come over the span of some six odd weeks before the Phillies take the field against the Houston Astros on April 1st.

In the mean time, if you want to take a look at a couple blogs that will have Spring Training coverage to a capacity much larger than this particular college senior who is roughly 700 miles from any Grapefruit League action whatsoever, a combination of Todd Zolecki’s “ZoZone“, David Murphy’s “High Cheese“, and Matt Gelb and Bob Brookover’s “Phillies Zone” should do the trick.

With that, enjoy the arrival of baseball season.

Happy Holiday’s Philadelphia Sports Fans

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanza, we all should be thankful this holiday season. Many of you got the latest technology, vacations and even an ugly sweater or two, but the City of Philadelphia received a number of wonder gifts this season.

The Philadelphia sports complex is seeing a lot of exciting action

Philadelphia Eagles:

I think you know how this story goes by now. The New York Giants placed a beautifully wrapped present under this year’s tree. It came in the form of a 28 point comeback and the first punt return ever to end an NFL game. DeSean Jackson danced his way along the goal line, celebrating the holiday season and another bid to the postseason.

Quarterback Michael Vick raised his arm high into the sky, thankful for another chance that he has proven to be well deserved. He was the catalyst in the holiday gift for Eagles fans, as his performance in the fourth quarter was one of the most dominant in the history of the league. Best of all, head coach Andy Reid can celebrate his holiday knowing that his Eagles are the hottest and most feared team in football. They define the term relentless and proved that they can get out of any hole possible. I’m sure he is celebrating with a nice Christmas ham today.

Philadelphia Phillies:

The 32-year-old, 6-foot-3 lefty from Arkansas made his second appearance under the Christmas tree in Philadelphia. Cliff Lee stunned baseball two seasons ago after his dominance with the Phillies and is back for more in 2011. He delivered what may have been the best gift of the season for Philadelphians, solving any starting pitching questions heading into next year.

Something about this city brought him back. He was slapped in the face by the organization and shipped away after being one of the main reasons the Phillies made it to the World Series. However, a part of him never left and now he is back to prove why he denied the Yankees and Rangers. He wanted to be part of something great; something that he even coined the most dominant and most feared foursome in the history of baseball.

And the best part, he even allowed his city to save a few bucks for next season.

Philadelphia Flyers:

What a wonderful gift

The 2009-2010 Philadelphia Flyers brought hockey back on par with football and baseball in the City of Brotherly Love. Even though they fell to the Blackhawks, they put together one of the most exciting post seasons in the history of the NHL. Now in 2010 and 2011, they are on a mission. They’ve battled injuries and a very tough division, but still have found a way to remain atop the NHL heading into the holiday season.

The orange and black have won seven out of the last nine games, including wins over the Penguins, Rangers, Bruins and Devils. Even though they will be without Pronger for the next month and a half, they are still one of the most feared teams in the league and one that is expected to make another run at Lord Stanley’s Cup next spring.

Philadelphia 76ers:

Certainly not the most exciting team in Philadelphia, but their young core might just make a push at the playoffs this season. As we have seen in the last decade, sub-500 teams tend to sneak in to the playoffs and the Sixers are no exception this season.

They are 6-5 in the month of December with all five losses coming against playoff teams. Despite their 11-18 record, they sit at ninth in the Eastern Conference, which is one spot out of the playoffs. Led by head coach Doug Collins, their young and aggressive style could enable them to make a run at the postseason.

Philadelphia has four teams that are all playoff contenders in their respective sports. There’s not much more you could ask for this holiday season (except maybe a championship). The Eagles are the hottest team in the NFC, the Phillies are only expected to maybe lose every fifth game this season, the Flyers smell another chance at the cup, and the Sixers are well on their way towards rebranding their old-school logo. It sure is nice to be a Philadelphia sports fan. Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday’s Philadelphia, we are well on our way to some more trophies in the near future.

The Week Philadelphia Was New York’s Daddy

Listen, as Philly sports fans, we all love every single event that transpired over this past week.  Let’s face it: we beat New York in EVERYTHING.  Here’s a video I put together to commemorate this awesome week.  Check it out!

PHILLIES: The Return of the Cliff Lee Saga..

Before I start, I just want to let you all know this is not a repost of something I have previously written.  In fact, this is more of a during finals procrastination tool that further shows me that baseball news takes precedent over any dedication to my academics that I might have at this time.

But for good reason.

Under some pretty, well, unforseen circumstances, the bidding war that is the free agency process of Cliff Lee has become quite a wild ride. Since free agency started a week after the San Francisco Giants won the 2010 World Series, there has been plenty of speculation on where the most heralded free agent in recent memory may go. That speculation, as of early Sunday evening, has reached an all-time high.

Here is where it currently stands.

RANGERS: First, it was Texas. Much like he was in Philadelphia, Lee had just been an integral part of a historic run in franchise history, a run that ended without a ring after a trip to the World Series. Viewed as somewhat as a savior to the the Rangers after a midseason deal sent him to Arlington last July, many people in baseball circles thought if the Nolan Ryan led organization were willing to give him a contract with enough years (7+) to allow him to raise his family Texas, he would stay.  As it stands now, the years are not the issue. The Rangers brass eliminated that part of the equasion by offering him that duration in their formal contract offer. The issue is, does Lee want to be the face of a franchise for the rest of his career that may not have enough depth within the farm system, enough talent on the big league roster, and most importantly to compete with the traditional powerhouses of the AL for a pennant year in and year out. Remember, for all the accolades Cliff Lee has, a World Series ring is not one of them. Yet.

Where will Cliff Lee call his new home?

 

YANKEES: Yes, I know it’s a shocker that the Yankees are involved in the process of trying to sign a highly priced free agent, but try to contain yourselves. While there is plenty of the negative that is associated with playing baseball in the Bronx, you can not deny the positives of wearing the uniform with the most famed pinstripes in all of sports. First, there is a little something called money. As shown in years past, the Steinbrenner led front office is willing and ready to outbid any team, in both years and actual money per year, for Lee’s services. For a player who is approaching his last opportunity for a maximum contract, there is not much more security for a guy of his age with his resume can ask for.  In addition to the dollar signs, what comes along with the fame of fortune of playing for the Yankees is the opportunity to compete in the postseason virtually every year. Now I know Lee enjoys beating the Yankees in that spotlight, but for a guy who spent a good majority of his professional career playing for rather unsuccessful franchises such as the Montreal Expos and the Cleveland Indians, the lure of playing for a team that will literally buy him a championship has to be somewhat attractive. Well, at least more attractive than moving to New York, a city that has caused the Lee family their own headaches when they verbally harassed the wife and kids last year. Don’t be surprised if that’s one of the main deciding factors that pulls him away from the bright lights of New York City. Besides If Lee was going to sign with the Yankees, the team clearly willing to offer the most lucrative contract, don’t you think he would have signed the dotted line already?

PHILLIES: And last but not least, the reason I am even taking the time to even write this. As of late Sunday night, the  ”mystery team” that has rumored to be lurking around during these sweepstakes is in fact the Phillies. As most you know from following baseball for the past 2 years or reading this blog for the same amount of time, there is a prior relationship between Cliff Lee and the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Summed up quickly, the Phillies traded for Lee at the trade deadline during the 2009 season. He then sparked a run, especially in the postseason, that left the Philadelphia two wins away from winning their second consecutive World Series title. After all was said and done, the Ruben Amaro and company then returned the favor by trading him to the Seattle Mariners in fear that he wouldn’t sign a long term deal and wouldn’t be able to co-exist with a newly acquired player named Roy Halladay. With that, it is quite understandable that Cliff Lee may still harbor some anger and resentment towards the Phillies organization. This is a business though, and from a business and a baseball standpoint, Lee seems to be considering the Phillies once again.

Why?

The combination of a successful and competitive franchise along with a sports town that he is beloved by if he would decide to step into the home clubhouse of Citizens Bank Park for at least 81 times a season has to be the main factor. However, will that along with a sense of selflessness that is so rare among professional athletes these days make up for the lack of money (20 mil a year) and guaranteed years (3 or 4 years) he’d be able to get from the Phillies in contrast to his offers from the Rangers, Yankees, or any other mystery teams out there.

Oh do I sure as hell hope so..

_________________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE (12:10 AM)

So I guess miracles do happen.

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com has reported that Cliff Lee will spurn both the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees for a second tour of duty with the Philadelphia Phillies.

More to come when this becomes official.

PHILLIES: Off-Season Questions

By now, you know the grim reality.

The Phillies we unable to make it to their 3rd straight Fall Classic. They were outplayed and beaten by a group of castoffs that compromised the San Francisco Giants roster, a team that eventually won the World Series against the Texas Rangers.

To sum up these chain of events, it’s actually quite easy. The Phillies did not deserve to have a chance to win there second World Series in 3 years. In addition to out-performing the undisputed most talented team in the National League, the most surprising element of the series was that the Giants were clearly more motivated than the Phillies.

What does the future hold for the Philadelphia Phillies?

It was almost like you were watching the 2008 Phillies when you saw the Giants and how they performed on the field. Opportunistic, clutch, always able to come up with the big play, manufacture that one run, or come up with that big pitch, a team who had not been to a World Series in eight years dismantled a Phillies team who was expected to roll to the World Series based on their overall talent and experience. In terms of comparing this Giants team to the ’08 Philadelphia team that won the title, their NLCS run was awfully remnicent, in regards to their play and their approach, to how the Phillies took apart the heavily favored Dodgers in 2008.

Well that, and both teams had one common link that helped carry them to victory.

The one, the only, Pat Burrell (and his .143 BA this postseason).

All jokes aside, while it still irks me that Burrell and Cody Ross (who was on the Marlins of all teams three months ago) are celebrating a World Series title while the city of Philadelphia is not, the show must go on.

The show, in this case, is the off-season.

Here are 3 questions the Phillies need to answer before Spring Training starts.

1. Will Jayson Werth be the starting RF for the Phillies on opening day?

Is Werth worth it? In this case, if his rumored asking price for a long-term deal is true (15-18 mil a year for 4-5 years), I am inclined to say no. I think the Phillies will echo that as well, especially with Domonic Brown, the #1 overall prospect in all of baseball in 2010, waiting in the wings. With letting Werth go, and implementing Brown as the starting RF imposes a clear lineup imbalance (over-abundance of LH hitters), a possible platoon for a year with Brown and another RH hitter (Ben Francisco, John Mayberry Jr., or a FA) seems to be economical move, and in my opinion, the right one. Unless Werth is willing to take a paycut (11-13 mil a year over 3-4 years), the most popular player (at least according to the female demographic) on the Phillies will no longer be able to call his home Philadelphia come the 2011 season.

2. Which members of the 2010 roster will no longer a member of the club come 2011?

If Werth goes, who else will join him? Just a couple days into the off-season, we likely know a couple of those names. The Phillies front office decided against exercizing the contract options SP Jamie Moyer, LHP J.C Romero, and UTIL Greg Dobbs, while the contract of 1B coach Davey Lopes was not renewed. With Lopes gone,  Moyer  likely headed towards the retirement home, and Dobbs to the minors,  the only one who even has a chance to come back is Romero, who would have to take at least a 50% paycut and and accept a 1-year deal. Don’t really see Romero as one who would make many concessions when it comes to something like that.

Outside of Romero, Moyer and Lopes, there are only a couple Phillies who are not locked up in long-term deals they could hit the highway. For all those that think SS Jimmy Rollins and OF Raul Ibanez may be on their way out, don’t. That’s not going to happen. Well, at least not this year. The starting lineup outside Werth is almost guaranteed to remain the same. The bench, predicting that the contracts of INF Wilson Valdez, 1B Mike Sweeney and 1B/OF Ross Gload will be renewed, should stay the same as well (although I think they will add an outfielder who specializes in hitting LHP pitching). As of right now, the pitching staff is where the most turnover could be. While the starting rotation seems to be set outside the 5th starter spot, there are four names that could potentially be on other teams at the start of the season.

RHP Chad Durbin (FA)

RHP Danys Baez (Outright release)

RHP David Herndon (Trade/Outright Release)

SP/RP Kyle Kendrick (Trade)

My prediction on this. Even though Baez under contract, I believe he has the highest chances out of the four of not being on the roster due to an extreme lack of productivity this year. And that’s putting it kindly. Outside of that, I think it’s likely that the Phillies bring back Herndon and Kendrick because they are as both under contract as well, and if Durbin is willing to take a one year deal, he should be back as well.

3. Are the Phillies to old?

If the Phillies playoff roster happens to be the 2011 opening day roster, with Brown supplanting Werth and the addition of John Mayberry Jr. as a utility OF who hits right-handed, they will still only have seven players (out of 25) under the age of 30. That will make them the undisputed oldest team in baseball. Now with that, they aren’t THAT old.  There are 3 players who will be 30, and Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins will all be 32 years of age or under, which means that they should be still within the prime of their respective careers.

The point I’m trying to make is that while the Phillies aren’t a kernel of puppies by any stretch of the imagination, they aren’t a softball team at an old age home either. With the way the contracts lay out though, there are not many ways they will get any younger throughout the season. A large majority of the current big league team is, as I said before, under contract, and even if the organization wants to get younger, the Phillies traded away a good majority of their pro-ready prospects in deals to acquire Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, and Roy Oswalt in the past year and a half.

So to answer this question, I don’t think the Phillies are too old right now, but it’s also clear that they aren’t in any position to get any younger.

As long as they win, age won’t be an issue.

PHILLIES: Reaction to Roy Oswalt

For the second year in a row, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. pulled the trigger on the deal that will most likely define the MLB Trade Deadline.

Last year, it was former Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee who was shipped to Philadelphia, a move that gained national headlines and made the defending World Series champs even more dangerous.

We all know how that worked out.

This year, it is now Roy Oswalt, a perennial ace wasting the last year or so of his prime with the Houston Astros, who will be the next one to “take his talents” to the City of Brotherly Love in an deal to help the Phillies win their 4th consecutive NL East crown.

And what a deal it was..

THE GOOD

There is so much good to talk about regarding this deal that it needs to be split up into two different categories.

WHAT WE GOT

You just have to take a look at Roy Oswalt’s career stats for about five seconds to realize the type of talent the Phillies just added to their pitching rotation. His credentials are astonishing (3 All-Star Games, Top 5 in Cy Young voting 5 different season), and with his 143-82 career record in just over 9 1/2 big league seasons, it’s easy to see why this guy has been considered an ace pitcher for the better part a decade, a distinction that Dan Haren, Fausto Carmona, and other who had been linked to the Phillies have unfortunately never had.

Roy Oswalt is the newest member of the Phillies starting rotation.

While his talent was not a question, Ruben Amaro Jr. also made the Astros address a one of his major areas of concern without involving another team. At 32 years of age, there were clearly some worries among the Phillies brass that they were getting a guy who was on the back end of his prime (which is still at an all-star level) who was being paid like a guy who was in the middle of his prime. That was proven by the Astros paying almost half of his remaining 23 million-dollar salary over the next 1 1/3 years of his contract, an incentive that gives much needed financial support to a team that now has the 4th highest payroll in baseball.

While the Astros will end up the Phillies approximately 11 million dollars for Oswalt to pitch next year and the remaining 50 games this season for the PHILLIES is good enough in itself, it is the combination of obtaining a #1 caliber starter along with that cap relief provided by the Astros organization (Phillies will only pay 12 million to Oswalt over the next 1 1/3 years, a figure that comes out to a reasonable 9.3 mil a year), is what allows all this to look like a home-run (grandslam even) in terms of the value the Phillies got in this trade.

Oh, almost forgot, the Phillies do not have to pick up Oswalt’s 16 million-dollar 2012 option that he and the Astros originally demanded either.

WHAT WE GAVE UP

I’ll be the first one to say it. Phillies fans everywhere should be grateful for what J.A Happ has given to the organization. His 12-4 season last year was pretty tremendous, and considering he was the best pitcher on the struggling staff in 2009 before Cliff Lee showed up, it’s undeniable that he played a huge part in keeping that team afloat when Hamels, Blanton and company were struggling. He really never got the appreciation his was due.

With that said, the fact that he was the centerpiece of this trade (not Domonic Brown, Jayson Werth, or Jonathan Singleton) rivals a blessing from G-D.

Phillies P J.A Happ was sent to Houston as the centerpiece of the Oswalt deal.

While Happ has a certain attraction factor because of the talent he showed as a rookie, relatively young age, and an even cheaper contract, he was truly never viewed as an asset within the Phillies organization. For instance, he wasn’t even the rotation to start the 2009 season, as he was beaten out by Chan Ho Park for the 5th starter slot out of Spring Training. CHAN HO PARK! That alone should indicate the amount of confidence that Amaro and company had with Happ.

All things considered, J.A Happ needed a change of scenery.

The Astros, by giving Happ the dubious honor of being the focal point in this deal, seem to think that he has the makings of being a stud pitcher, possibly even an ace to replace Oswalt. In contrast to this, with the way Happ was treated (especially recently), it’s possible that the Phillies viewed his 2009 year as his eventual “ceiling” or even a possible fluke.

After finishing 3rd in the NL while dealing with added pressure of being involved in the Cliff Lee trade rumors, Happ seemed to have solidified his status in the rotation coming into the new year. That was short-lived though, as a rocky start to the 2010 campaign fueled by a 3-month oblique injury was the driving force which allowed Happ to fall out of favor with management for good. The fall from grace was so drastic that when he was finally healthy enough to pitch, he was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley because of fears that he didn’t have the “stuff” that once made him so effective.

As a fan of Happ but also a Phillies diehard, I hope his career in Houston lies somewhere in between.

For the other two 19-year-old prospects involved in the deal (OF Anthony Gose and SS Jonathan Villar), the Houston Astros better pray that the baseball futures of both these teenagers will pan out. As of right now though, getting this deal done without giving away any of the top three prospects (Brown, Singleton, and P Jared Cosart) or surging pitching prospects such as Vance Worley or Brody Colvin makes it look like Ruben Amaro is getting away with felonious crime.

Or something similar to blackmail of Astros GM Ed Wade.

Don’t get me wrong, both these guys have major talent.

While the Astros won’t have the ex-Phillies and current Astros CF Michael Bourn clone in Gose (a player who stole 78 bases at the minor league level last year) in the fold, they did trade him in a corresponding deal Thursday night to acquire 3B Brett Wallace from Toronto. Wallace, who was ironically involved in a deal last year that sent former Phillies prospect Michael Taylor to Oakland, is a player who should help impact them at the big league level right away, something that could really help Houston build for the future. With Villar, the Astros get a shortstop who is projected to have three above-average MLB tools (Power, Speed, Arm Strength) when all is said and done and his is ready for the bigs.

Overall, you can’t deny that Houston did get some short-term and long-term value.

However, with the leverage Roy Oswalt was once though to have earlier this week, it’s pretty remarkable that Ed Wade could only get the Phillies to give up an OF prospect in Anthony Gose that is AT LEAST three years away from making an impact in the big leagues and the SS prospect in Jonathan Villar that has a dreadful 42 errors in Single-A this season and is not even the top prospect in the Phillies organization at his own position (that honor goes to Double-A Reading SS Freddy Galvis).

Advantage: Phillies

THE BAD

Yes, there is some bad in the trade. Well, bad is maybe the wrong word.

More like, concerned.

On paper, it shows that the Phillies traded a pitcher that was 12-4 last year and two more young prospects in addition to the 10 or so they sent in deals for Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee for a pitcher in Roy Oswalt who has a record of 6-12 this season.

Now, there is no doubt that Oswalt is a better pitcher, than what shows up in the win/loss column. His 3.42 E.RA on the season is a clear indicator of that, and even with getting awful run support by virtue of playing on one of the worst teams in baseball,  he is still among the NL leaders in K’s (13th with 120) while ranking 47th in MLB in IP with 129 (better than NL All-Star Yovanni Gallardo).

But, with Oswalt being in line for single- digit wins and the first losing season (leads MLB in losses with 12) of his career, an obvious question remains.

Can Oswalt prove that he’s still the ace that he once was?

Time will tell.

If he is not, and the chronic back issues that he has and the pressure that comes along with Philadelphia come back to affect Oswalt, then the initial excitement of this deal could go sour very quickly.

THE VERDICT

Anytime that a GM can trade for an all-star star pitcher without having to touch any other parts of his teams big league roster, give up any of his top three prospects, and get 11 million dollars in cash back from the trading partner for good measure, it has to be considered a success.

I understand, if the Phillies kept Cliff Lee, they wouldn’t have had to do this.

Have to face the facts though. GM’s make mistakes too. Ruben Amaro decided not to keep Cliff Lee. In 1997, former Yankees GM George Steinbrenner (RIP) signed an unheard of Japanese pitcher by the name Hideki Irabu to a lucrative 14 million-dollar deal. He had a career 5.15 ERA with the Bronx Bombers, and was one of the biggest busts of the Steinbrenner regime. More recently in 2006, San Francisco Giants GM Brian Sabean inked Barry Zito to a notoriously awful 7 year, 126 million-dollar deal, something that he is still paying for today with Zito unable to produce a winning season in the three years since signing the dotted line. These things happen.

Will this deal help bring the Phillies back to glory?

By dealing Lee, Ruben Amaro thought the Phillies could be the same caliber of team and win with just the pure addition of Roy Halladay. When he realized that his intended goal may not pan out like that, he fessed up to his questionable decision and attempted to make amense for it by making a deal for Oswalt (Lee was out of the question) in an attempt to help save the season.

You can call GM Ruben Amaro many things, expletives even, but with this trade, “stubborn” no longer remains as one of those adjectives.

Can’t look into the past anymore either.

With Oswalt now in the fold, joining NL All-Star Roy Halladay and a surging Cole Hamels, you can now debate that the Phillies have the potential to have the most dominant starting pitching in the NL. While the rotations of the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, and San Francisco Giants may be able to give a pretty good argument in that regard, there is no question that those opposing teams (and other contenders) will view the Phillies, with their improved rotation combined with an already explosive offense lineup, as an even greater overall threat to represent the NL, again, in the Fall Classic.

They have to get in the post-season first.

On a that note,  I’ll set the final scene for you now.

First weekend in October. Phillies have a 3-game series with the Atlanta Braves to end the season. NL East, of course, on the line.

The potential Phillies starters for those games.

“Halladay–Hamels–Oswalt”

That alone tells me enough about this deal. Well done, Ruben.

PHILLIES: DONE DEAL

For the third separate time in 12 months, a different ace pitcher will be calling Philadelphia their new home.

First, it was Cliff Lee.

Then it was Roy Halladay.

Now, Roy Oswalt is coming to the City of Brotherly Love.

After a week of speculation, the final deal looks like this.

Roy Oswalt and Cash (11 million dollars) to the Philadelphia Phillies for P J.A Happ, OF Anthony Gose, and SS Jonathan Villar

Another part of the deal is that the Phillies DO NOT have to pick up Oswalt’s 16 million dollar option for the 2012 season, something that was rumored to be a condition of Oswalt waiving his “No Trade Clause” and going to another destination.

According to GM Ruben Amaro Jr., Oswalt will fly from Houston to Washington DC late Thursday Night. He will then travel to Nationals Park on Friday morning with the team. So, as it stands now, not only will he be in uniform for the Phillies for the start of their series with the Nationals on Friday, but he is also scheduled to make his debut on the mound tomorrow night for the Phillies.

With that said, I’m going to let this all sink in.

A reaction post to the trade will come later tonight after the Phillies game.

Until then, celebrate..