With the Philadelphia Phillies tied with the St. Louis Cardinals at 2-2 and facing Game 5 tonight, you’d think there needs to be some sort of explanation. Sure, the Cardinals have a nice team, but nothing compared to this Phillies team that is stacked to bejesus and back with pitching.

The easy scapegoat has been Ryan Howard, the team’s $100+ million man who has been awful since Game 1. In Game 1, he popped a three-run homer for the ages and drove two more in later. It looked like he would put the team on his back and carry them to the NLCS. That, ummm, hasn’t happened. He’s been terrible since then. So this has to be his fault, right?

Well, he should shoulder some blame, but no one wants to blame this pitching staff? This “best staff ever” group of pitchers that haven’t done their jobs?

In Game 1, Roy Halladay gave up a three-run homer in the first inning to get the team down 3-0. Sure, after that he settled into being Roy and carved up the St. Louis offense. The Phils were able to dig out of it and rout the Cardinals for what turned out to be an easy Game 1 win.

The second game? The team gave Cliff Lee – the mighty can-do-no-wrong Cliff Lee – a four-run lead. FOUR runs. That should be game-set-match, correct? It wasn’t. Cliff blew the lead and the Phils lost.

The only guy that did his job so far was Cole Hamels. He didn’t have his best stuff in Game 3, but still pitched six shutout innings and the Phillies hung on for the win. Roy Oswalt in Game 4? Pitched extremely well except for really one inning, when he got knocked around. Bad. He gave up five runs in five innings. They could get Randy Wolf to do that. That’s not was dream team pitchers are supposed to do.

The problem is that all these scenarios were played out before the season even started. “Boy, just give Cliff Lee a lead and than it’s lights out.” But no, that hasn’t happened and no one wants to call them out. It’s easier to blame Howard.

Make no mistake about it, if the Cardinals take down Game 5 and go on to the NLCS, this starting pitching staff is to blame. This is not what the team was expecting out of them.

It was about a year ago that I sat in OTR’s very own, Micah Warren’s German luxury car (Volkswagen Jetta). We were headed to the range to hit some golf balls when I suggested an interesting, yet unlikely scenario. “The Eagles should make a move for Albert Haynesworth.”

It was evident that this guy was unhappy in Washington and first year head coach, Mike Shanahan, was switching to a 3-4 scheme. Among other things, pride slashed with an undoubtedly poor attitude left the Redskins with a very unhappy, very unmotivated and VERY expensive player for the year. That said, it wasn’t hard to assume Washington would look to move this guy either by trade or simply cutting him after the season.

Despite all this, I repeated my interest in acquiring his services. He is a big, dominant force in the middle who, when motivated, is one of, if not, the best DL in the league. I thought it made complete sense to give him a 2 year, incentive laden deal and an opportunity to rejuvenate his reputation and career. This was a specific position of need for the Eagles that could be filled and possibly exceeded with the addition. Still, I was called a fool and others wanted no part of my scenario.

Just curious: Who is one of Fat Albert’s main potential suitors once a CBA is reached? Who brought in his former tutor to coach the defensive line? More importantly, why is it accepted as a possibility now…when it was rejected vehemently when proposed in your German engineered sedan? Is it only worth considering when SportsCenter runs a VO on it or if Adam Schefter says its possible?

The 2010 MLB season came and went. The Phillies ran into the heavy arms of the S.F. Giants and were eliminated in the N.L. Championship Series. Despite trading for Roy Halladay and adding Roy Oswalt at the break, the Phightin’s came up short and were out classed on the mound. Is it any surprise that pitching wins championships? No. So even though they had a great rotation already, why is it so farfetched to think they would make a play for Cliff Lee?

I repeated myself over and over again that the Phillies could bring back Lee if they wanted to. Despite moving him to clear space for Halladay, the minute the trade went through to Seattle both Lee, the fans AND the Phillies knew something didn’t feel right. A fan favorite, who was at the top of his game, was moved across the country despite his relationship with the fans and outward desire to play in this city. So why wouldn’t the Phillies take a peek at the guy once he hit the open market?

If a few things happened, the Phillies would have just as good of, if not a better shot at signing the lefty. First, we all knew they would have to let Jayson Werth walk. Done. Second, they would have to find a suitor for Raul Ibanez’ contract. Third, they would need to rely on Lee taking a little less money. Plain and simple. Okay, so the Phillies decided to go over budget rather than find a new home for Ibanez, but all the right things happened prior to signing him. Very similar to how the Eagles are positioning themselves for Haynesworth (although not nearly at the same level).

So when news struck in the middle of the night that Cliff Lee signed a deal with the Phils, were you one of the ones completely caught off guard… or simply excited that your team took advantage of an opportunity in front of them? 

So why can’t Steven Stamkos become a Flyer? Ah, finally we’ve arrived at my point (EDITOR’S NOTE: Finally). I’m hearing nothing be negativity and doubt regarding the Flyers ability to sign Stamkos. He is 21 and arguably the 3rd best player in the game (behind Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby). So let’s address some of the facts.

Fact: Flyers would have to clear cap space
Fact: Whoever signs Stamkos to an offer sheet would have to give up four first-round draft picks
Fact: Tampa Bay owns his rights as a RFA so he would have to refuse the initial offers prior to July 1

To clear the cap space, the Flyers cleared up nearly $108 million in long-term contracts by dealing home grown studs Jeff Carter and captain Mike Richards. Cap space achieved.
In both of those trades the Flyers got young and talented. Highlighted the Richards deal was Braydon Schenn, the 5th-overall selection in 2009 and a guy nearly every team coveted. Thanks to the Carter trade, the Flyers scooped up Jakub Vorecek (6th overall in 2008) and also landed the 8th-overall pick this year.

With that selection, these guys got Sean Corturier. This guy was once ranked the #1 North American born skater and debated as the top overall pick. He slipped down to 8th where the Flyers bag an absolute steal. And let us not forget the 2007 No.2-overall selection in JVR.

So to recap, the Flyers now own the rights to the 2007 No. 2-overall pick, 2008 No. 6-overall pick, the 2009 No. 5-overall pick and the 2011 No. 8-overall pick. Signing Stamkos to an offer sheet at the expense of four future first-round draft picks doesn’t seem so extreme now…does it? They would be putting themselves in a great position to WIN now while securing youth for the future. Plus, if things go as expected, the picks would be at the bottom of the first round.

Finally, none of this is possible if Stamkos simply signs with TB prior to July 1st. How has that gone so far? In order for any of this to be possible, Stamkos and the Lightning have to come to an impasse on a new deal and allow him to test the waters. So far, the on again, off again talks have proven to provide just that.

Of course, if/when a team signs him to an offer sheet, TB has the right to match the deal. It is being reported that TB is offering around $7-7.5 million per season. Really? Crosby is getting upwards of $9 million/per and Ovechkin is just over $9 million/per. Do we really think this guy is going to sign for $7 million without at least letting other teams drive up that price tag? In addition, who says the Lighting can pay him top dollar even if they wanted to? Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Ryan Malone are all on the books for long-term, high-cap contracts. I didn’t see any of those guys get moved yet… did you?

So if a team, like the Flyers, would come in and offer part of the $108 million saved by moving Carter and Richards to Stamkos… do we really think TB can match it? In a curious move, the Flyers moved Darroll Powe earlier this week. Why? He wasn’t going to cost too much and was critical to the PK. Why make that move if you were trying to save every penny you could for a much larger plan?

Do we really think Snider isn’t eying up a big move? After all, he has given up control of the Sixers and has full attention on his prized baby. I’m not saying this is definitely happening, but what I am saying is… look at the facts. Teams, like the Flyers, can pull off a move like this if certain things fall in line. In fact, it’s really the only way moves like this get done. The Phillies took those moves, the Eagles are trying to make some moves and it appears the Flyers are doing the exact same thing.

THINK BIG!

So far this season, the Philadelphia Phillies have been as good as advertised. They are 21-9 and have a two-game lead in the division. The Phour Aces – Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels – have been brilliant. Hell, even Joe Blanton has been very good after a rough first couple of outings.

But Blanton is now on the DL and it looks like he may have some company. Todd Zolecki of MLB.com says that Oswalt will not pitch on Saturday and that Kyle Kendrick will take his place. He also says that a trip to the disabled list could be on the horizon.

“Kendrick will start Saturday. Oswalt could land on the DL. Back bothering him a bit,” Zolecki tweets.

Oswalt just returned to the team after heading down south to help his family through all the storm and tornado damage. I wonder if his back was bothering him enough then that they knew he couldn’t pitch anyway. He did tweak it right before he went down there.

Vane Worley has been spectacular in two spot starts for Blanton, but Kendrick tends to be not very good.

It may have gotten a wee bit tougher for us to sell our brilliant “99 Problems but a Pitch Ain’t One” t-shirts. While the Philadelphia Phillies’ starting pitching has lived up to all the hype, their bullpen is starting to break down a bit.

With closer Brad Lidge already on the DL, we learned today that his replacement, Jose Contreras, is also being sent to the disabled list with a right flexor pronator strain. That’s a bum elbow in case you don’t feel like looking that up or spending years in medical school to find out more.

That means that Ryan Madson, who has had problems closing out games in the past, will take over the ninth-inning role. Madson is coming off two straight saves against the San Diego Padres, but didn’t close out today because it was a maintenance day. Antonio Bastardo, who has been very good so far this year, got the final out for Roy Halladay on just one pitch as the Phils swept the four-game series on Sunday.

So far this season, Madson has a 1.00 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in nine innings. He’s 2-0 with two saves, but let us remind you that those two saves were against the Padres. Yes, the Padres….the worst hitting team in the entire league.

The Phils need to weather this storm as there is no timetable for Contreras return and Lidge is out until at least June.

Hit Me! The Philadelphia Phillies have pitching out the wazzou and everyone knows it. However, this is not a flawless team. They have problems. 99 problems? Jay-Z might think so, but probably not that many. Then again….it’s early.

In 2008, it was the young Cole Hamels that fooled batter after batter, team after team as the Phils lost just three games in their entire playoff run. Fastball or changeup? What do you prefer? Doesn’t matter and good luck guessing. Hamels was the playoff MVP and the World Series MVP as he led the Phillies to their first World Series title since 1980.

In 2010, the Phillies traded for uber-stud Roy Halladay. Last year, he was only able to produce a perfect game, 21 wins, a postseason no-hitter and a Cy Young award. He’ll need to step it up.

During the 2010 season, the Phightins maybe an in-season move for Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt, who was brilliant last year. He’s back this year, and will probably be great again unless that little comebacker to the head has long-term effects (it won’t).

And what about their latest pitching acquisition? That’s right, in case you hadn’t heard, Cliff Lee is back. Nothing short of brilliant for the Phils at the end of 2009, he helped the Texas Rangers get to the World Series in 2010 and stands to do the same for the Phillies in 2011. Yeah, he’s Cliff Lee.

And what about Joe Blanton? Did we forget about Joe Blanton? Yes? We forgot about Joe Blanton, who is probably the best fifth starter in all of baseball.

But, this team has some question marks. Chase Utley is scheduled to start the season on the DL. Jason Werth is gone. There is a lack of righthanded bats in the lineup. Ryan Howard doesn’t have any protection. Who will lead off? Who is hitting No. 5? Who is playing right field? Is Dom Brown going to develop?

The Phillies have some problems. They might even have 99. But none of those problems is a pitch. And to commemorate this pitching staff and this 2011 season, OTR has created t-shirts. That’s right, 99 Problems but a Pitch Ain’t One t-shirts.

You can get yours in a variety of colors, right HERE.

In case you missed it, the Phillies are back at it.  And now they’re targeting a right-handed bat.  Reports have been confirmed that the Phils contacted the Texas Rangers about 3rd baseman Michael Young.

Before you get excited, there wasn’t much these two teams had in common.  It was just a call to see what the going rate was.  One source said the discussions were “brief” and amounted essentially to “tire kicking” on the part of the Phillies.  One can imagine the conversation going a little like:

Photo Caption:  “Shut up, Charlie…They make me look bad ass.”

Phillies:  “Hey Texas, I see you’ve got an unhappy camper over there.”

Rangers:  “You lookin’?”

Phillies:  “Well, I’ve got this Joe Blanton guy that I don’t know what to do with…”

Rangers:  “We’ll take him.  Throw in Dominic Brown and you’ve got a deal.”

Phillies:  “Good talk.  Sorry it didn’t work out…and the whole Cliff Lee thing.”

But I digress.  The Phillies lost a very solid player in Jayson Werth as he not only protected Ryan Howard for the last few years, but was a  key right-handed bat in a predominantly left-sided lineup.  After leaving for Washington, plenty of questions exist regarding just how they are going to fill that void.  Apparently they seem more intent on replacing his bat…and not simply a left fielder.

But not at the expense of Placido Polanco.  I mean it.  Michael Young has much better offensive numbers than Polanco and I can only imagine what he would do making Citizens Bank Park his home.  But Polanco’s glove on the hot corner is simply too valuable.  Sorry Phils, I totally appreciate you making that call, but I’m not sure it would work.

Wait, hold up.  Let me rewind for a second.  I think we may have glossed over something big.  The Phillies contacted the Rangers about Michael Young?  Is the this the club that just shelled out coin and traded for the best pitcher in baseball, Roy Halladay?  That very same club that then traded for a stud pitcher named Roy Oswalt at the break?  The same dudes who just shocked baseball by shelling out more coin for the prize pitcher in free agency, fan favorite, Cliff Lee?

And they’re still looking?

I love that fact that they picked up the phone just to “kick the tires.”  If there are guys out there that may help this team win, the Phils are picking up the phone and seeing just what it would take.  Apparently, regardless of your position or how much you’re getting paid.  Young is still due $48 million over the next three years.

That’s a far cry from the Phillies I grew up watching.  Then again, the Phillies I grew up watching (other than 93) weren’t really worth the watch.  Today’s Phillies are listening.  They are leaving no stone unturned as they continue to pursue another championship for the city of Philadelphia. 

I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell appreciate it. 

@JeffreyLurie, you watching?

According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, the Philadelphia Phillies have re-acquired the services of Cliff Lee. This is absolutely unreal.

“Cliff Lee is going to the Philadelphia Phillies, industry sources said Monday night. The Rangers were told Monday night that Lee is going to the Phillies, It is a done deal,” Sullivan tweets.

The Texas Rangers and New York Yankees were believed to be battling it out, but the Phils jumped in late and emerged as a legitimate suitor. Some reports have him signing a five-year deal at around $20 million per year, which is the bargain of the century for the Phillies. The Yankees were offering a seven-year deal at around $150 million (depending on which report you believe).

Cliff Lee left money on the table to sign with the Phillies. Wow. That’s amazing.

Right now, the Phillies starting rotation is (in any order): Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels.

Hamels is probably the No. 4. I’ll repeat: Cole Hamels is probably the No. 4! He is a World Series champion who won the playoff MVP and World Series MVP back in 2008.

Have fun with that NL East. Phillies fans….this is a dream come true.

Stunning news from Michigan, Roy Halladay from the Philadelphia Phillies was awarded the NL Cy Young award today from people who vote on such matters. It was unanimous and rightfully so.

Halladay went 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over 33 starts. Those who follow the Phillies know that he probably should have had about 3-4 more wins, but the offense was in a complete funk for a good month or so.

Oh, and did I mention that Halladay pitched a perfect game against the Florida Marlins in May? Yeah, he did. He also struck out 219 batters this season while walking only 30. Christ.

Adam Wainwright from the St. Louis Cardinals finished second while Ubaldo Jimenez from the Colorado Rockies finished third.

The good news for the Philadelphia Phillies is that they found a way to come back from a one-run deficit against Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants to win Game 5 and send the NLCS back to Philadelphia for a pivotal Game 6 in Philly. The bad news is that their ace Roy Halladay tweaked his groin in the second inning and wasn’t himself the whole night.

“I felt like it was something I could get by with,” Halladay said.

Halladay rode the stationary bike in between innings to try to keep it loose, but he clearly didn’t have his A game all night.

“He wasn’t going to let us take him out,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.

It probably means that he’s not available for relief duties should they reach a Game 7. But, the more immediate worry last night was him staying healthy enough to get through the game. After all, the Phils were facing elimination. They ain’t got time for groin injuries.

“I was worried a little bit,” Ruiz said. “But when I saw him come back to the mound [in the third inning], I had a great feeling.”

Probably Doc’s biggest problem was getting ahead in counts all night. He got behind a few times and wasn’t able to throw a lot of pitches that he may have wanted to. Still, Halladay at 85% is still better than most of the league.

Now, the big question is how Roy Oswalt pitches in Game 6 after pitching an inning in Game 4′s loss on Wednesday night.

There is simply no room for bitching about last night’s Phillies/Giants NLCS Game 1 matchup. The San Fransisco Giants found a way to get a win against Doc Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies. They won 4-3 and there was no area where you can say “so and so ruined the game for us.”

The home plate umpire was rough. He squeezed the ever-loving crap out of both sides. He was fair and consistent, and that’s all you can ask of an umpire. Both Halladay and Tim Lincecum were frustrated by many of his calls, but it was the same for everyone.

But what’s with Cody Ross? An unremarkable player to say the least, Ross popped two solo shots off of Doc Halladay to keep the pressure on the Phillies. Halladay wasn’t bad, but the four runs he gave up were just enough to kick the Phils in the testicles and go down 1-0 in the series.

Here’s something cute…what’s Cody Ross spelled backwards?

Ssory Doc.

There were a ton of people congratulating Philadelphia Phillies starter Roy Halladay last night after he threw the second no-hitter in MLB post-season history (Don Larsen was perfect in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series). Don’t count Cincinnati Reds SS Orlando Cabrera among those who were impressed by Halladay’s performance.

“It was a bad combination with John (Hirschbeck) back there,” Cabrera said. “He gave him every single pitch. A guy like Halladay feeds off that. It makes it nearly impossible with a guy like that. He can hit every single corner, and he was low in the zone. He and the umpire threw a no-hitter. Another umpire and another zone, he wouldn’t have been able to throw a game like that.”

Uh huh. We watched every single pitch. We thought Halladay may have gotten one or two strikes, but the Reds pitchers got several more. Any game is going to have a bad strike call here or there, but the Reds were absolutely lost at the plate last night. They didn’t know what was coming or when, so to blame the umpire just makes you sound like a baby, Orlando.

The Reds should pray they don’t win one of the next two games and have to face Doc again. Think Orlando’s comments might have him fired up for Game 4? We doubt he’ll walk anyone that’s for sure.

The Philadelphia Phillies are in a rare position. Most MLB teams would love to have either Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt or Cole Hamels as their ace. The Phillies, however, have all three.

They have three aces and Hamels, the former NLCS and World Series MVP from 2008, is their friggin’ No. 3. Their No. 3! Who wouldn’t want that?

Hamels was asked if this pitching staff, with this lineup, would be considered a failure if they don’t win a second World Series title in three years.

“Yeah, you have to,” he said, per Philly.com. “To be in the category of being the greatest, the best, you have to prove it. You can’t have the team that woulda, shoulda, coulda. A lot of people can talk about how great a team was, but if you don’t have anything to show for it, then it’s really hard to convince people.”

Hamels finished with a career-low 3.06 ERA and a career-high 211 strikeouts. That’s not too shabby for a third frickin’ starter!

“It puts our team in the best scenario. To have guys that can each start a Game 1, that just instills confidence in each other and, hopefully, in our offense,” he said. “Knowing that any one of us can get the job done and do a very good job. But we have to get the job done.”

Hamels has been very good at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. He is 3-0 there with a 1.67 ERA, keeping Reds batters to a .172 avg.

Last year, he was criticized for not being mentally ready. He made comments about being ready for this all to be over after he squandered a lead in Game 3 of the World Series last year. They didn’t go over well.

“I feel a lot stronger and a lot healthier. Mentally, I feel more prepared. Even from ’08,” he said. “Then it was just going on excitement of being in the postseason for the second time and trying to make it last more than three games. I felt good then, but I feel like I have a better workout plan now, so I should be a lot stronger. And with the last couple seasons of being in the postseason, I feel like I can mentally handle it.”

He should. Of the three super studs starting for the Phillies, he has the most impressive post-season resume. And he’s their No. 3 starter. Can Phillies fans ever remember when that was the case?

The centerpiece of the Roy Halladay trade, Kyle Drabek finally got a chance to make his MLB debut last night for the Toronto Blue Jays. He gave up three earned runs over the course of six shutout innings against the Baltimore Orioles. He was pulled despite having a no-hitter going, while giving up nine hits.

But, what was really impressive, was Drabek’s poise on the mound.

“I think that’s part of him growing up in a baseball family … the guys who can stay calm play up here, the guys who can’t don’t stay up here,” Jays manager Cito Gaston said.

Drabek said he was just happy to get his MLB debut over with.

“I was glad I got that one out of the way,” said Drabek.

“Today felt like any other day, a few more text messages than normal, but I felt okay. I was happy my family was here. I got to spend the day with them and it felt normal.”

Ok, that headline may be a bit misleading. Making his Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training debut on Thursday against the New York Yankees, newly acquired pitcher Roy Halladay gave up no hits and struck out three in two innings. It’s quite possible that he won’t give up a hit a all year.

During the top of the third inning, Halladay headed to the bullpen and tossed a few simulation pitches before ending his day. Rough life.

According to SI.com, the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a deal to acquire pitcher Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays. According to reports, the Phillies would send stud left-hander Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners and the Mariners send the prospects to Toronto.

According to reports, the Phillies are trying to lock up Halladay long-term right now. A deal is almost certainly going to get done because there is no way the Phils would do this deal without knowing that Halladay would be around for quite some time.

While it doesn’t seem like a good idea to lose Cliff Lee, Jon Heyman of SI.com says that Lee told the Phillies “no discount,” as far as signing a long-term deal with the club. The Phillies only have so much money and they probably can’t afford both.

Stay tuned for more details.

UPDATE: It seems that the Phillies are now getting three prospects from the Mariners, including Aumont, but they have to send Kyle Drabek to the Blue Jays. It was rumored that the Blue Jays wanted Drabek or JA Happ, and the Phils most likely made the right move in choosing Drabek. Happ has proven he can pitch at the MLB level and is already and important part of their rotation. Drabek hasn’t done anything outside of AA (the baseball league, not the rehab place).

According to numerous websites, including Philly.com and Foxsports.com, Roy Halladay is in Philadelphia with his agent.

Rumors continue to swirl that he is in town to talk about a long-term extension with the Phillies and take a physical. Foxsports say that it could be a potential three-team deal and that Cliff Lee could be dealt in a trade.

Lee is set to make $9 this season and they might need to move his salary to help pay Halladay. I’m not sure I want to see Lee go away in a move like this, but I’ll reserve judgment until I see what the deal and circumstances are. But regardless, this story is getting red hot and a deal could be coming soon.

It’s possible that Lee would be sent to a third team so that the Phillies could acquire the right prospects to bring in Halladay. It also may save them from using some of their own prospects, like the guys who were discussed at the trade deadline this year. It might be worth it if they can save Drabek, Happ, Dom Brown and Michael Taylor.

The identity of the mysterious third team isn’t known, but it very well could be the Anaheim Angels, who may be close to losing John Lackey to the Boston Red Sox.

Stay tuned on this one.

A source tells Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated that the Phillies appear to be out in the lead for the services of Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay.

“They’ve been very aggressive,” one baseball source told Verducci. “They’re putting together a package, even if they need another team. They’re trying to find the players [on other teams] the Blue Jays want to get it done.”

We saw recently that JA Happ would be included and it would have to involve one of the Phils young outfielders. Namely, Dom Brown or Michael Taylor. We also heard the name Cole Hamels thrown out there, but I doubt the Phillies want to do that. Not saying they wouldn’t, but I can’t imagine they’d be thrilled with that.

The Phils would have an absolutely filthy rotation if they landed Halladay. Assume that Happ is the guy that gets sent off. Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Blanton, Pedro (heck, swap out Hamels for Happ if you have to. It’s still nasty). Have fun with that, Mets. Sure, Hamels was up and down all year last year, but what if he found his 2008 form? The Yankees could get Granderson and Holliday, it wouldn’t matter. This lineup, which is improved with the swapping out of Polanco for Feliz, with that starting pitching? C’mon.

And let’s not forget, the Phillies have been linked to John Smoltz for the bullpen. Lidge might not even be an issue.

Regardless, it’s clear that the Phillies are looking to improve a team that has two World Series appearances and a ring in the last two years. Could a deal like this find the Phillies in the cellar for years to come down the road? Of course it could. But, the Phillies have been the pits for years, so it’s not like Philly wouldn’t be used to it. They have the farm system and the cash to get this done.

We’d be curious about signing these guys long term. To mortgage the farm for just one year of Halladay and Lee wouldn’t be thrilling. But, if they can sign just one of them to an extension (you have to at least do that, right?), we think it’s worth it. Utley, Howard, Rollins, Ibanez….these guys aren’t kids and they aren’t getting younger. Might as well push some chips into the middle of the table.

Either way, this town cannot complain about what the Phillies are doing right now. Whether deals get done or not, there is too much smoke for there not to be fire. At least they are trying. When was the last time we could say that about this team?

Roy Halladay’s representatives tell ESPN’s Buster Olney that he wants to be traded before spring training or he won’t accept a trade at all. Halladay has a full-on no-trade clause in his contract and he is clearly using that to get the hell out of Dodge (he actually plays in Toronto).

PHOTO CAPTION:  Roy Halladay pitches the baseball while balancing a silver globe of some sort on his left foot

This will surely get things humming up in Canada (where he plays). Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos will clearly have to do a better job than the last yahoo, who wanted way too much in exchange for the 32-year old stud. Expect their asking price to drop through the floor.

Indeed, it will be tough to find someone interest in taking on Halladay’s paltry 17 wins and bloated 2.79 ERA.

The Toronto Blue Jays are still dangling Roy Halladay in front of his potential suiters, but as it was during the MLB trade deadline last season, the demands are too high.

PHOTO CAPTION:  MLB organizations continue to chase after Roy Halladay

General Manager Theo Epstein and the Boston Red Sox would love to have Halladay’s services for next season, if not just to keep him away from the New York Yankees.  However, if acquiring the ace pitcher means trading away Clay Buchholz and their top prospect Casey Kelly, it’s not going to happen.  And that is exactly what the Blue Jays want.

If the Blue Jays continue to keep their demands high for Halladay, the 33-year old pitcher will most likely stay with his current team and find a new home when he is a free agent after the upcoming season.

But there’s always the Yankees.

A league source tells the New York Daily News that the Boston Red Sox are “putting on a full-court press” in an attempt to get Toronto Blue Jays stud Roy Halladay.

“They would love to get it wrapped up before the winter meetings,” the source said of the Red Sox.

This is an attempt to get the dude before anyone else, namely the Yankees. The Yanks would love to add this guy to CC Sabathia in the rotation.

Here’s the bigger problem: anyone else notice the names that are interested in the services of Halladay for $15+ million for one year? New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and even the Dodgers name has been thrown in.

We didn’t notice if the Kansas City Royals were interested. Or the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Minnesota Twins can barely afford to keep their own good players, let alone acquire a guy like this. This is what bugs us about baseball. Certain teams just can’t throw their hat in the ring in situations like this. You want good players? Call the Detroit Tigers, you can probably have Curtis Granderson for a song.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Los Angeles Dodgers are focused on getting Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay.

“The Dodgers badly need an ace and are focusing on Blue Jay ace Roy Halladay. The Dodgers would have to give up Billingsley and others,” he tweets.

We think they might do Billingsley, but we have to think there is no way they send Clayton Kershaw to Toronto. He is their ace in the making and it wouldn’t make sense to lose him. The Dodgers are poised to make a run, but they are also relatively young and shouldn’t break up their nucleus. Billingsley isn’t chump change, but he makes more sense to include in a deal.

A source tells the Hot Stove Blog that if it means getting more in return for pitcher Roy Halladay, the Toronto Blue Jays will grant a team a window of time to negotiate an extension with the horse pitcher. Currently, Halladay is only signed through 2010 and obviously no one will want to give up the farm for one year of pitching. Conversely, the Blue Jays don’t want to accept a bucket of warm llama spit for him either.

Clearly, new GM Alex Anthopoulos has a much better handle on how to move a guy like Halladay considering his contract situation than former GM JP Ricciardi did. Ricciardi refused to grant such a window and Halladay is still a Blue Jay….so that tells you what you need to know about Ricciardi’s ability to trade the man.

MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, who used to cover the Phillies for the Philadelphia Inquirer, writes that sources tell him that a deal that would land the Phillies Roy Halladay is “unlikely.” There were rumors that the Phillies were going to make a play for him and that a deal might include Cole Hamels, but GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. giggled at that notion.

“Hamels is one of our starters next year,” he said. “And we view the combination of Hamels and (Cliff) Lee as strong a top of the rotation as anybody’s in the league.”

Zolecki doesn’t see it happening because it would mean completely gutting the farm system when you consider that last year the Blue Jays wanted JA Happ, Dom Brown, Anthony Gose and the untouchable Kyle Drabek.

It will be interesting to see who gets Halladay. A trade deadline deal might make the most sense.

The Philadelphia Phillies tried like crazy at last year’s trade deadline to acquire veteran stud Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays. But, in the end the idea of giving up JA Happ, Dom Brown and Kyle Drabek just wasn’t something the Phillies were comfortable with. So, they had to settle for Cliff Lee who was an unmitigated wrecking force in the regular season and especially in the playoffs.

Well, several sources with knowledge of the Phillies offseason plans tells Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the Phils are still very much in the running for Halladay’s services.

The sources even said that there has been recent discussions between the two teams.

“Philadelphia is into winning now, and Halladay fits that,” one rival front-office man said.

There are expected to be as many as 12 teams interested, so it’s no sure thing that the Phillies can land him. But Halladay has one year remaining on his contract at $15.75 million. So the team he goes to would have to…:

-Be in a position to win this year. You wouldn’t give off a bunch of prospects to have one good pitcher on a bad team. Besides, the Raiders play in the NFL, not in MLB, so no one would do that.
-Be able to absorb that huge salary.
-Have the prospects available to trade to the Blue Jays.

The Phillies fit all three of those criteria. And while it’s just speculation, there is talk that this time JA Happ won’t be the current starter that Jays covet. We think this time the guy’s name will rhyme with Pole Camels (here’s a hint, we are talking about Cole Hamels).

Quick, who has the best record (61-39) in the AL? Here’s a hint – they wear pinstripes, make tons of money, and have the highest payroll in baseball. Could the Yanks land Doc Halladay at the deadline, and absorb $15.75 million on their 2010 tab? Yes. Yes, they can.

I'm your Huckleberry...

Today, Yankee starter Chien-Ming Wang underwent successful (and season-ending) arthroscopic shoulder surgery. That leaves the Yanks with Sabathia, Burnett and Chamberlain at the top of the rotation. Good, but certainly not great. CC and AJ are solid, then there’s a noticeable drop to Joba and Pettitte (4.67 ERA).

Joba goes six innings on a good day, and while Pettitte is a big-game pitcher, he is past his prime. This isn’t 2007, 2005, 2003, 2001 2000. He’s not going to dominate the playoffs. Replace him in the rotation with the best pitcher in baseball, and the Yankees become the team to beat. Sabathia, Halladay, Burnett – have fun with that.

The Yanks have the players to get it done, and Joba Chamberlain is going to be the key to this deal. Remember when GM Brian Cashman came out of nowhere to sign Mark Teixeira? Could Cash do that again with Halladay? All he has to do is convince a few Steinbrenners… and you can bet he is trying.

Rogers Communications, the company that owns the Blue Jays, says that the Blue Jays need to control costs.

“We believe that the financial performance of the Blue Jays can improve,” said Tony Viner, president of Rogers Media. “In fact, it’s the one division of the media company this year, year over year performance is better than it was. We think that we can bring costs reasonably under control and more in line with revenues.

“Our revenues are actually increasing in certain parts of the business so, as you know, the Jays form an important part of our programming schedule on Rogers Sportsnet, which is another division of the company which has done recently well and especially during the recession.”

Of course this is in reference to Roy Halladay, who is owed $15.75 million next season. After that, he’s a free agent and the Blue Jays surely won’t be able to keep him. They know they need to move him now because his trade value is going to drop significantly if they don’t trade him in the next couple days.

Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com says that the Phillies “are fully determined” to get Roy Halladay from the Blue Jays. The Phillies really want him and they are definitely the team with the best ammunition. The Dodgers might be the other possible team to acquire the stud right-hander.

As for the Blue Jays just simply keeping him, one source told Knobler today “It’s obvious that they have to move him now.”

OTR has heard/read several rumors today that say the deal is very close. One report suggests the Phils would send J.A. Happ, Jason Donald and Dom Brown to Toronto in exchange for Halladay. Another report said Kyle Drabek, Carlos Carrasco, Brown and Donald.

These are just rumors for now, but it’s fun to speculate.

NY Post writer Joel Sherman says via his Twitter account (anyone else notice that a lot of stories are getting broken that way lately?) that there is no way that the Yankees will go after Roy Halladay. The reason? He says it’s the same problem with getting Santana two years ago, it’s just a combination of too much compensation (the Mets robbed the Twins in that area) and loot. And when we say loot, we mean….money.

Sherman says on Twitter:

#Yankee officials tell me zero chance on Halladay for same reason no Santana 2 yrs back: Combo of too many prospects/dollars

While the Yankees have decent starting pitching, they are hardly set. Pettitte is old. Wang is hurt and stinks when he does play (although he was ok recently before his current trip to the DL). We don’t know what to think of Joba. Phil Hughes is in the bullpen and should probably stay there for now. But you still have Sabathia and the wild card that is every start by AJ Burnett. And overall, they are in better shape than most clubs.

But….

The Yankees are different than most teams. They need to win. Like….now. The lineup is there, would Halladay be the final piece of the puzzle? I know I’d take Halladay, CC and Burnett as my 1,2,3 starters any day. Throw whoever the hell you want at 4 and 5.

The Phillies were believed to be in the hunt to add another starter, but lately things have changed. Colorado has won 17 of 19 and all of a sudden is on a roll, so Jason Marquis may not be available. The Mariner’s Erik Bedard hit the the Mark Prior List. San Diego’s Jake Peavy hit the MPL. Halladay hit the MPL (not that he would have necessarily been available anyway). So what’s happening with the trade market, Ruben?

“I think things will heat up late, because everybody is still kind of in it,” Amaro said. “There are no real teams bailing, or stepping out of this thing. There’s going to be a pretty vicious fight for probably two of the division in our league, and certainly for the Wild Card. There are so many teams that are still involved. I don’t expect that to change a whole lot over the next month, but it will start to crystallize a little bit more as we start to get into the middle of July.”

Amaro knows he needs to make some tweaks. The starting pitching has been decent as of late (Joe Blanton gave up 2 ER in seven innings tonight in a loss to the Rays), but the bullpen has started to spring leaks.