So we get to see our new Cy Young Award Winner tonight. 

Welcome to Philly Lee, just dont screw up the media (and phans) will jump on you like a pack of wild dogs. This aint Cleavland.

 And next week Pedro? 

Lee and Pedro need to show those Cy Young Awards to Hammels and explain how cool it is to win one, and help him get it together.

Lee goes the distance but gives up a run on FOUR hits.  Man I wish we Halladay instead.

People are victims of the hype machine.  Lee AND Francisco makes us better now and we still have better players for the future.  Win-Win.

Throws no-hitter into the 6th, gives up only 4 hits, goes the distance....and we get to keep Happ and Drabek?   For chrissakes what more do you want?

A. Lee led the AL in innings pitched before the trade. Id say thats an innings eater.
 

B. 7-9 with a 3.14 ERA, 2.10 ERA since April 15th on a lousy team. Do the math. He could easily have had 12-14 wins on a team with decent run production.

This was a much better deal, considering what they had to give up, as well as the addition of Francisco.

we get to keep drabek, happ, brown and taylor and get a cy young winner in return, along with the right handed bat we desparately needed. I love halladay, but IMO this was a better deal.

C'mon Jamie you're smarter than this. First of all, there is no such thing as a sure thing. Don't be one of those people who were victims of the hype machine. In his last start, Halladay gave up 11 hits and 3 runs to the MARINERS and took the loss. He is not God and he does not guarantee anything. With the way he was pumped up, you'd think he throws a no-hitter every time out and never loses a game. Yes he's a very good pitcher, top 5 in the game. But Lee is also a very good pitcher. The drop off between the two over the long haul is not that much. On a game to game basis, he has just as much a chance of pitching a gem as Halladay.

Scutaro is a nice player, but I didn't read anywhere (and I read a lot) that he was ever involved seriously in any discussions; forget the fact that he would have added to a necessary (and overpriced) package.  To do a Halladay deal (and frankly I'm not convinced just the three players widely speculated were the ONLY components that would have made Ricciardi pull the trigger) and a seperate Willingham deal would have set the FUTURE of the team back years.  And to say that those two players are a lot better than Francisco (both now and going forward) is quite an indictment against a player I'd wager you never heard of before Wednesday.

You also seem to put a lot of stock in a pitcher's win-loss record.  Surely you know that W-L is the least indicative measure of a pitcher's quality or worth.  By that measure, you'd probably argue that Moyer is a better pitcher than Lee.  Don't minimize Carrasco, he is still very young for his league and may yet find the mental toughness that he lacks (which is what is keeping him from the bigs)  Gavin Floyd eventually found it.  The Phils didn't throw dreck to Cleveland.  It was a good package.  I'm sure they were not desperate to move those players.

Bottom line: does Lee provide a guarantee for the Phils in the playoffs? No.  But be honest with yourself, Neither does Halladay.  But both would would have given them a chance to win, and with that I am very satisfied with what we got.  So who was being stupid in the Halladay sweepstakes?  The Phillies AND THE REST OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, or J.P. Ricciardi.?  That Halladay is still in Toronto pretty much answers the question.

My thoughts on the subject

I'm laughing at the Jays GM right now.  He had a good trade and a valuable trade in place with the Phils. He was being piggish about it though, and will most likely never get that kind of value again. 

The Phillies had no problem letting go of Drabek, but not with Happ.  In short, they weren't getting both.  I can agree that at this point in time Halladay would be perfect.  But it's not the 80's anymore and we have to take into consideration what the Phils have already invested in what they would have to give up.  Another piece of the puzzle that adds to the intrinsic value of each player and adding to the actual cost of the deal.  It complicates a trade more than just saying potential future versus proven talent.

Toronto lost in this deal.  No doubt.  I was never worried about the Dodgers or the Rangers or the Cardinals or whoever else was in the running of picking up Halladay.  They never had the shot.  It was Phillies or no one. 

Because we got Lee for what we got him for, I am more than satisfied with the ownerships stance on the matter.  At least we aren't the Mets

This is way off Brian...

Toronto has no shot of contending anytime soon with Boston and the Yanks.  Torontos biggest problem is that they have no one coming up to help out in the future.  Halladay was the  conduit  to be able to fill up multiple gaps in their roster.  Now that they "blew" it with the steafast demands from Philly, I doubt they will get close.  They may not have a choice but to sign him at this point.  From there, where they go is anyones guess

Jim is right on about all counts.  The Jays had a very good deal on the table but started to believe their own propoganda.  The reality for them now is that they will have to try again in the off season and will have to settle for less.  Or they will start next season with him, quickly slip comfortably in 4th place and be happy to get a Johan Santana type deal for him.  But there is no way on God's green Earth that he re-signs with them.

That they wouldn't act reasonably and make a good deal with the Phillies makes me seriously doubt whether Ricciardi had any intention of dealing him at all.  The fact that he wasn't dealt backs that up.  Only if some team completely lost their mind  would he pull the trigger, yet I get the sense that he would always ask for 'one more thing' any time someone would say yes.  Frankly I think Ricciardi knows he has one foot in the grave right now and was not going to give anyone an excuse to can him by trading away the only guy people come to watch in Toronto.  UNLESS someone completely lost their mind.  No one did...understandably.  Contrary to popular belief, baseball people aren't stupid.

Would Halladay have been sweet?  Of course.  But again, I'm not convinced he was actually on the market.  With that is my backdrop, I think the Phils got the best pitcher available at a reasonable price.  And that is reason for smug satisfaction.