"This is where we wanted to be." So said Roy Halladay at his press conference this afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. While giving love to Toronto, his baseball home till now, he made it clear, again and again, that Philadelphia was where he wanted to be. Asked about his extension, he said simply that winning was what mattered to him. That's why he was in Philadelphia, to win--not once but for years.
Ruben Amaro Jr., who has been both aggressive and brilliant in his young tenure as GM, was beaming at Halladay's side. You've got to give kudos to the three GM's who made these trades possible. Alex Anthopoulos in Toronto got the most that he could for a pitcher who may well be irreplaceable and Jack Zduriencik in Seattle can only be happy with his part in the blockbuster. You'd have to say that on the face of it the Phillies got the best of it, but Seattle's now got a great complement to their ace and Toronto got some real rebuilding blocks.
Amaro made it clear today that the Phillies could have stretched the budget to keep Cliff Lee for the 2010 season but he felt compelled to address the larger issue of the farm system. In the two trades, for Lee this summer and Halladay this week, the Phillies have lost seven of their top 10 prospects. Trading Lee was, ultimately, a "baseball decision", a way to help restock the farm. He also seemed to suggest that the three minor leaguers acquired from Seattle might start the season in double-A Reading. Yes!
I hope that MLBN---do I love that channel!---carries the Lee presser, when it happens. Sad though it is to see Lee, and his 1.56 postseason ERA, go, it's great that he's going to a team that is very much in the hunt and to one of my fave ballparks not CBP.
Ironically, Roy Halladay will wear 34, Lee's former number. Halladay's number, 32, is retired in Philadelphia. It belonged to Steve Carlton.
