There won’t be a “Halladay” in Philly this summer -- instead the Phillies may settle for a guy that they hope will help them climb the “Cliff” to another championship.
The Phillies settled on a four-for-two deal with the Indians that sent pitcher Carlos Carrasco, catcher Lou Marson, shortstop Jason Donald and pitcher Jason Knapp to Cleveland for ace left-hander Cliff Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco, reported Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
The deal was eminent pending physicals after a series of events Wednesday.
Right-hander Carrasco was suddenly scratched from Wednesday's 11 a.m. start in Lehigh Valley, with no official reason given, Beerleaguer reported.
Carrasco wasn’t alone as Donald and Marson also were out of the IronPigs' lineup.
Quickly reports surfaced that the Phillies were ready to trade for the 2008 American League Cy Young Award.
Sources who spoke with officials from both clubs told ESPN's Jayson Stark that a variety of packages were discussed to bring Lee to Philly.
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The key to the deal was single-A flame-thrower Jason Knapp, Rosenthal said. The big righty could one day be a top of the rotation stud or he could fizzle out.
But enough about who the Phils might give up to get Lee -- what about the pitcher himself.
Lee will bolster the Phillies rotation.
The 30-year-old southpaw has pitched better than his 7-9 record would indicate. He posted a 3.14 ERA (seventh best in the AL) and 107 strikeout to only 33 walks in 152 innings so far this season.
Lee gives the Phillies another top-of-rotation stud to pair with Cole Hamels.
The big concerns about Lee were that he makes the Phillies rotation even more lefty heavy (remember when Randy Wolf was the only lefty we had) and that he hasn't always put up consistent numbers including a 5-8 record and 6.29 ERA in 2007.
He also is a fly ball pitcher -- a concern in hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park. But, as ESPN.com pointed out, he gave up the second lowest home run to fly ball percentage (3.4) in the majors during the past two seasons.
The lefty was option No. 2 behind Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay. The Toronto righty could stay put if you believe his General Manager.
“My gut is we don’t move the player,” Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi told Yahoo Sports.
The Phillies also got a solid right-handed bench player in Francisco. The UCLA product can play either corner outfield position. He also has some pop -- knocking 10 homers and 33 RBI in 308 at bats this season.
Stick with NBC Philadelphia for more details.
