Halladay Move Not About Winning - But Maintaining
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by Joe Santoliquito
This will sound strange, amid the clamor and hoopla over the Phillies getting Roy Halladay and giving up their future in exchange by discarding stud pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, outfield prospect Michael Taylor, and catching prospect Travis D'Arnaud. But when you’re beyond every team in the National League, which, let’s face it the Phillies are, you have to think like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, the teams the Phils now compete against.
The Phillies didn’t think like the Yankees or Red Sox in acquiring Halladay, and surrendering Cliff Lee to Seattle to make it happen. Again, it goes back to the difference in accepting being good, and daring to be great.
Ruben Amaro made a move that tells Phillies’ fans ‘we’re happy to maintain.’
After making history in reaching a second-straight World Series for the first time in franchise history, I think Phillies’ fans deserve a little better than a lateral move. They deserved to have their home team open its wallet and try to reach an agreement with Lee, while still going after Halladay (what happened to all of that money Citizens Bank Park was hemorrhaging during the postseason?).
Yes, it may seem somewhat unrealistic. But sending Drabek, Taylor and D'Arnaud directly to Toronto, while retaining Lee and meeting his asking price, then settling with Halladay (for what is being reported as $60-million over the next three seasons) would have been, well, what the Yankees or Red Sox would have done.
Plus, the Phillies had far greater leverage in this thing and gave up what appears to be far too much for a 32-year old with a history of arm trouble. Halladay wanted out of Toronto. The Phillies knew it. Toronto was aware everyone knew it. Still, they gave up a hefty amount to make it happen.
There’s no questioning that this is the greatest nucleus in Phillies’ history, with Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz, Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino, Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge, and now tack on Placido Polanco. This group deserved to know that at least the three times Halladay, Lee and even Hamels went out there, they stood a good chance to win.
Now those chances have been cut by a-third.
The Phillies aren’t cheap. They’ve obviously made a commitment to winning. But this deal in securing Halladay and retaining Lee would have screamed to every corner of baseball that the Phillies want a dynasty. It would have said that they want to be like the Yankees and Red Sox.
Instead, it seems we’re stuck with the Phillies of old, a team looking for an angle to remain competitive though not dominating.
Hey, the Phillies did get a guy who is 18-6 with a 2.84 ERA in 37 starts against the Yankees. He’s been an absolute force over the last four years posting an ERA of under 3.75.
But what’s so disappointing is that the Phils could have had two guys like that—two stoppers who struck fear into the Yankees and the Red Sox, the big boys, because that’s who the Phils are competing against.
The Phillies are still the best team in the National League. It’s just a shame because they could have easily been considered the best team in baseball entering April with Halladay and Lee. Now we’re all just left to wonder and wait until next October if the Phils made the right move.
Joseph Santoliquito is an Emmy Award-nominated writer based in the Philadelphia area who can be contacted at Jsantoliquito@yahoo.com.
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