If there is one thing that the last two seasons of Phillies baseball proved, it’s this: Dominance can be fleeting. For proof, look no further than Cole Hamels. He was one of the biggest reasons the Phillies won it all in 2008, and ironically, one of the biggest reasons they didn’t win it all in 2009.

He went into last season fresh off a career year, his second full season in the majors, that saw him best opposing teams to the tune of a 3.09 ERA over 227.1 innings. Then October rolled around, and things really got going for the lefty. In five games, he went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA en route to winning both the NLCS and World Series MVP awards, while leading the Phillies to their first title since 1980, thus completing his journey from coveted prospect to staff Ace.

We all know what happened next: The limelight, television appearances, cover stories, a new wife, a new condo, a poor off-season training program, an injury to start 2009, 12 earned runs in his first nine innings, a few good starts, a great start, some bad starts, a few more good starts, bad start, great start, bad start, bad start, playoffs and more bad starts, the questionable walk to Mark Teixiera, the even more questionable two-run tater to Alex Rodriguez, the curveball to Andy Pettitte, game over, Cole wanting it all to end. And it did.

And as spring training approaches, the question remains: Where does that leave Cole?

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On the same day that the Ruben Amaro took another step toward cementing his legacy, along with the Phillies’ immediate future, it seemed like the topic of the day was Cliff Lee, the erstwhile lefty who is long gone, but far from forgotten, in the City of Brotherly Love.

Most of the chatter takes Amaro to task for not keeping Cliff Lee on the payroll for 2010, especially in light of Joe Blanton’s recent contract extension. The prevailing logic is that if Blanton can get eight per for the next three, then why couldn’t that money go to Lee’s sure-to-be-monster contract?

More after the jump…

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A day after the trade was announced that would send Cliff Lee to the Mariners for Seattle’s version of Carlos Carrasco, Jason Knapp, Lou Marson and Jason Donald, our favorite mid-season acquisition of 2009 finally had a chance to speak.

To be honest, I was hoping he would be all, “Philadelphia was a great place, but I’m a Mariner now and my focus is winning games for them. You can’t dwell on the past.” Not because I don’t like Clifton — that’s far from the case. I only say that because fan/player break-ups are much easier to handle when the player has obviously moved on.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. Earlier this evening, in a conference call with some reporters, Cliff expressed his shock and disbelief when he heard the news. Andy Martino of the Inquirer was the first to publish the quotes:

“My initial reaction was shock and disbelief [Ed Note: Told you.] Initially, I was disappointed because making it to the World Series was a lot of fun, and I was looking forward to making a third run at it.

At first I didn’t believe it, because I thought that we were working out an extension with the Phillies and I thought that I was going to spend the rest of my career there…This goes to show this is a business, and you never know what’s going to happen until you have a full no-trade clause.”

Why do you think it an extension didn’t work out?

“There was not enough dialogue. (Also) They had an opportunity to get the best pitcher in baseball, and I can’t blame them for choosing Roy Halladay over me…I was under the impression they would keep me for a long time.

I’m going to be as positive as I can, and go over there and try to make it to the World Series with those guys…it’s a new chapter. I’ve got to go to the Mariners and make the best of it. I’m going to go in with an open mind and do everything I can.”

“Those guys are the real deal. It was a true team and I can’t say enough about them.”

Damn. Well, if it makes you feel any better, Cliff, we didn’t want you to leave either.

Cliff Lee: “Shock and disbelief” | The Phillies Zone

UPDATE, 9:25 pm: Here’s the audio from the teleconference via KJR AM 960 in Seattle:

As the final pieces of the last big trade of the decade are assembled, scribes from all across the baseball world will chime in and report on who went where, why for, and which teams got the best deal.

While the general sentiment is that the Phillies came out ahead, Yahoo! Sports writer Jeff Passan thought otherwise. And while I usually enjoy Passan’s work, I was especially aggrieved by this one, for reasons that will become apparent.

So, in the interest of my beloved Fightins and journalistic objectivity, and as an homage to the great FJM, I will proceed to prove my point.

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So it looks like everything is in place to make Roy Halladay the ace of the Phillies pitching staff. Since we don’t really care about the other teams involved, let’s take a peek at who will be coming and going from the Phillies end, shall we?

The Phillies would get:

• Roy Halladay (from Toronto)
• Phillippe Aumont (from Seattle)
• Tyson Gillies (from Seattle)
• Juan Ramirez (from Seattle)
• $6 million cold, hard cash (from Toronto)

The Phillies would give up:

• Cliff Lee (to Seattle)
• Kyle Drabek (to Toronto)
• Travis d’Arnaud (to Toronto)
• Michael Taylor (to Oakland via Toronto)

On top of that, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com, the Phillies would then sign Roy Halladay to a 3-year extension that would last until the end of the 2013 season and pay him an annual salary of about $20 million starting in 2011.

If you’re wondering why the Phillies had to go and trade Cliff Lee to the Mariners, it’s simply an economic decision.  By getting the $6 million from Toronto, it offsets the cost of what Halladay was supposed to make in 2010 ($15 mil) and what Cliff Lee was supposed to make ($9 mil).  The Phillies tried desperately during the winter meetings to unload Joe Blanton and his expected $7 million salary in 2010, but the only way other teams were interested in acquiring Blanton would be if the Phillies ate part of his salary.  And that would defeat the whole purpose of moving Joe Blanton to begin with.  

Looking back, it really makes the contract given to Jamie Moyer (2 years, $13 mil base salary) look bad, because if the Phillies only signed him to a 1 year deal with a year 2 option, they could’ve declined his 2010 contract and kept Cliff Lee and settled for the compensatory draft picks when he signed elsewhere after the season.

But hey, look at the bright side — we got Roy Halladay!

Won’t somebody please think of the prospects?!

While the entire Phillies fanbase was gearing up for the impending Roy Halladay trade, CSNPhilly’s resident minor league writer Kevin Czerwinsk was busy checking in with some of the potential trade pieces that have never played a game in the majors.

Check out what Kyle Drabek, Domonic Brown, and Travis d’Arnaud had to say:

Kyle Drabek:

“I’m not sure they would [call to say you’re not getting traded], but if they did I would be thankful,” Drabek said. “If they ended up doing that, it would say a lot that they don’t want to get rid of me. But you have me and Brown at Double-A and Michael Taylor at Triple-A, and this is Roy Halladay, one of the best pitchers in the Majors. It’s kind of amazing to be talked about with him.”

“I paid a little attention to it in July but it was on [TV] all the time and my teammates were all around me talking about it,” Drabek said. “Right now it’s a little easier to not think about it.”

Dom Brown:

“I really don’t know what’s going on,” Brown said. “I’m just happy to be mentioned in this. Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee and I are mentioned in a deal. That’s really great. I want to play at Citizen’s Bank Park but things happen and this is a business.

“A lot of people say that [they don’t want to trade us]. But like I said, this is a business. A guy with the stature of Roy Halladay, that’s a big-time name and I haven’t done anything yet. You never know what will happen. I was looking to be a Phillie and hopefully I will be a Phillie but this is business. I’m just not trying to get overwhelmed by the situation.”

“I had a great time there and a great experience but I didn’t do as well as I thought I should have,” Brown said. “I started off hot and I think I kind of just got tired at the end. That’s not going to happen to me again, getting tired. I’m going to work had and prepare myself this off-season. We’ll see what happens over the next few days with this trade.”

Travis d’Arnaud:

“I’m just kind of trying to figure out what’s going on,” said d’Arnaud, who was the 37th pick in the 2007 draft and is considered to be Philadelphia’s top catching prospect. “I’m pretty excited about it. Whatever gets me up there faster [to the Major Leagues]. If I can get up there faster with Toronto, than I am excited about it.

“I’m surprised and shocked about that this is going on. I just play ball and try to have fun. I don’t ever think about who is watching me.”

And last, but certainly not least, Scott Lauber spoke with Cliff Lee’s wife Kristen about the deal:

“Obviously, something’s going on,” Kristen Lee said by phone tonight from Arkansas. “I’m shocked, and I’d be really sad. But it’s baseball.”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — you can’t get anything past Kristen Lee.

Drabek, Brown, d’Arnaud In Dark About Any Deal | CSN Philly

Photos, all via Flickr: Kyle Drabek/narcowich | Dom Brown/BeGreen90 | Travis d’Arnaud/Hanbone

UPDATE, 11:05 pm: Salisbury is back again with what seems to be the most likely trade scenario:

The Phillies would get Halladay and $6 million from Toronto.

Seattle would get Lee and send the Phillies two or three players. One of those players could be sent to Toronto.

The Phillies would send at least two of their own prospects to Toronto.

According to a person with knowledge of the talks, the Phillies have decided to include Drabek in the deal. Drabek had been considered untouchable when the Phillies pursued Halladay in July. The Phillies are also expected to send another prospect to Toronto, either outfielder Michael Taylor or catcher Travis d’Arnaud, according to sources. A person with knowledge of the talks said top outfield prospect Domonic Brown was not in the deal.

The two prospects the Phillies would receive from the Mariners seem to be RP Phillippe Aumont and OF Tyson Gillies.

UPDATE, 9:50 pm: Here’s what Jayson Stark just wrote on ESPN.com:

The specifics of the trade took some twists and turns on Monday. The trade’s latest structure would send Phillies outfielder Michael Taylor, Phillies catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud and a Phils pitcher — either Kyle Drabek or J.A. Happ — to Toronto, sources said. And indications Monday night were that that pitcher was likely to be Drabek. Under that scenario, the Phillies would not have to include their top position-player prospect, Domonic Brown, and they would receive Seattle’s top pitching prospect, Phillippe Aumont, who originally appeared ticketed for Toronto.

The Phillies also would receive one other prospect — believed to be 21-year-old outfielder Tyson Gillies — from Seattle in exchange for Lee, who is a year away from free agency.

UPDATE, 8:01 pm: Jim Salisbury updated his story and now reports that the Phillies top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek is included in the deal.

There are plenty of conflicting reports floating around about the proposed 3-team deal that — in its simplest form — would send Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay to the Phillies, Cliff Lee to the Mariners, and a bunch of prospects to Toronto.  Of course, all of the pieces haven’t been finalized yet, nor has the expected contract extension that Roy Halladay would sign, so let us gather some information from various baseball scribes and drive ourselves crazy trying to piece it all together.

Here’s what the man who broke the trade, Jon Heyman of SI.com, has to say:

The Phillies are in agreement on a three-team trade with the Mariners and Blue Jays to acquire star pitcher Roy Halladay while shipping Cliff Lee to Seattle, pending a few final details, SI.com has learned.

Sources indicate Halladay is likely to agree to a contract extension to complete the deal in the next couple days. The deal is not expected to be finalized today due to its complexity.

The Mariners would get Lee in the trade to complement Felix Hernandez and form a formidable rotation. Seattle and Philadelphia are both expected to give up prospects in the deal. It is believed righthanded pitcher Phillipe Aumont, a Canadian, may be going to Toronto from Seattle. Other names discussed included Mariners athletic outfield prospect Michael Saunders and Phillies outfield prospect Michael Taylor. The Mariners were trying to hold onto top pitching prospect Brandon Morrow.

Here’s the man I called insane for merely suggesting this trade over the weekend, Ken Rosenthal:

An agreement is now in place to send Roy Halladay to the Phillies, Cliff Lee to the Mariners, and prospects to the Blue Jays, major-league sources confirmed to FOXSports.com.

The sources said Phillipe Aumont — a Canadian right-hander — is among the players headed from Seattle to Toronto in the deal; the source added the Philadelphia is expected to send one of its outfield prospects, possibly Michael Taylor, to the Blue Jays.

Outfielder Michael Saunders and right-hander Brandon Morrow were also among the Seattle prospects in play.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many players would be included in the deal. One person familiar with the talks said he didn’t anticipate an announcement on Monday, an indication that the customary review of medical records is not yet complete.

Senior writer from ESPN.com, Jayson Stark:

A three-way deal that would send Roy Halladay to Philadelphia and Cliff Lee to Seattle is “close” but “not done,” according to two sources familiar with the negotiations.

As part of the deal, Halladay would agree to a three-year extension through 2013, with a vesting option that could lengthen the deal by another year or two, one source said. The extension is expected to guarantee Halladay in the neighborhood of $60 million, plus the $15.75 million he would make in 2010, the final year of his current contract.

According to a source who spoke with two teams involved in the trade, Toronto would get highly regarded Mariners pitching prospect Phillippe Aumont, Phillies catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud and another Phillies prospect in exchange for Halladay. Indications are that the Phillies have balked at Toronto’s repeated requests for outfielder Domonic Brown, and the Phillies are offering highly touted outfielder Michael Taylor instead.

Seattle would send two additional prospects to Philadelphia in exchange for Lee, who is a year away from free agency.

As of late Monday afternoon, the extension had not been agreed upon. And the Blue Jays and Phillies were still haggling over the final prospect. In addition, Phillies doctors would have to sign off on Halladay’s physical.

So in effect, the Phillies would be trading one Cy Young (Lee) for another (Halladay). And while that may seem difficult to understand from afar, the Phillies clearly view it as a swap that enables them to keep one of those Cy Youngs well into the future — a less likely scenario if they held on to Lee.

CSNPhilly’s newest employee and former beat writer for the Inqy, Jim Salisbury:

Halladay and his agent are in Philadelphia negotiating the contract extension that will facilitate the pitcher’s being traded from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Phillies.

As of 5:30 p.m., the extension was not finalized. Sources say the two sides are still haggling over the value of the extension. But those same sources say they expect the two sides to eventually agree, possibly tonight. Once the extension is finalized, Halladay will have a physical exam. That will be the final step to the trade, which has been described by sources as imminent.

Halladay will make $15.75 million this season. His extension could approach $20 million in average annual value.

The Phillies’ payroll for 2010 is expected to be around $140 million. To make room for Halladay in the payroll, the Phils are expected to deal Cliff Lee to Seattle for prospects. One or more of those prospects would be sent to Toronto for Halladay. The Phils would also have to surrender players from their system. Sources say the Phils may have relaxed their stance against trading a top prospect such as pitcher Kyle Drabek or outfielder Domonic Brown.

And here is my absolute favorite, from Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press:

Toronto pitcher Roy Halladay was in Philadelphia on Monday to take a physical for the NL champion Phillies, according to a person with knowledge of the situation – a necessary step before the teams complete a potential blockbuster trade involving the former Cy Young Award winner.

The person spoke Monday on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the teams had not made any announcement. Philadelphia could give up pitchers J.A. Happ, Joe Blanton and outfielder Dominic Brown as part of a deal, the person said.

Those three players also took physicals in Philadelphia on Monday.

I have no idea what you are supposed to do with all of this information, but it should keep you busy until something concrete is released.  But I think there are two certainties here:

Roy Halladay is a Philadelphia Phillie and Cliff Lee isn’t.

UPDATED UPDATE: So, the text in that Jon Heyman link has changed completely since I updated and there is no official word yet on who was traded where. But I’m pretty sure the Phillies are getting Roy Halladay.

UPDATE: According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, Roy Halladay has just been acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies. Cliff Lee gets shipped to Seattle, and some prospects (including Michael Taylor) go to Toronto.

Roy Halladay is expected to sign a contract extension with the Phils.

Sorry about calling you insane, Ken Rosenthal.

You know, I tend to not get myself all worked up over trade rumors and shit, because most of them are just that — shit. But there are a few reporters out there in baseball land that I give more credence to than others, and if they print something, I assume that said rumor has a shred of validity.

One of those fellas is FOX Sports own Kenny Rosenthal. Now, no matter what you think of Rosenthal the slow-talking sideline guy that annoys you during FOX broadcasts, he is normally a damn good reporter. But this morning he wrote some insane column about this “hunch” he had.

Take a look at this beaut:

You want a blockbuster? How about one that includes not one, but two former Cy Young Award winners?

I have no proof that the Phillies are trying to move left-hander Cliff Lee as part of a three- or four-team trade for Blue Jays right-hander Roy Halladay.

But I’ve got a hunch.

You want a dumb trade rumor that has as much chance of happening as that Pat Burrell to the Mets trade from last week?

Come on, Ken. If baseball reporting was about hunches, every knucklehead with a press pass would just run possible trades through their dumb head and send them to their editor. It’d be fucking reporting anarchy, man. You might as well have just told us that the Astros are on the verge of signing Brett Myers and called it a day.

But nooooooo, you had to go and infuriate people by coming up with a trade that doesn’t make a lick of sense.

And of course, Ken wasn’t done there. Here’s his proposed “deal”:

So, here’s the deal: Lee goes somewhere for prospects. The Phillies include the prospects in their package for Halladay, maybe keep one or two for themselves. Halladay gets his extension, the Jays get a bounty of young players and some lucky team gets Lee for one year at his bargain salary of $9 million.

And then Halladay and Lee go a combined 57-0 with a 0.00 ERA and the Jays take their bounty of young prospects and form a dynasty — the likes of which the AL has never seen! The end.

Methinks Ken Rosenthal lives in fantasy land sometimes.

Aces Lee, Halladay in same deal? It could work | FOX Sports
Rosensquirrel screengrab provided by The Sports Hernia, of course.

UPDATE: Go read Bill Baer’s take, it makes much more sense than mine.

I’m gonna come clean here, I’ve never heard of Montana Tractors before.

But then again, I’m not the outdoors-y type who goes elk hunting as a hobby and mows down opposing batters for a living like I had a friggin’ MRFM84 attachment for an arm.  Cliff Lee is.  And if he thinks that the Montana Tractor is worthy of his endorsement, then there’s only two conclusions you can draw from this:  1.)  Montana Tractors are the finest quality tractor that money can buy, and 2.)  John Deere is a pussy.

Besides — check out the deal they’re running on that Clifton ad. Now I’m no math major, but zero down, zero payments, and zero interest sounds to me like you’ve got a free tractor coming your way.

GETCHER FREE TRACTORS!

Is there anything better about a local team going to the World Series than local news guys interviewing fans in a bar before and after the game? Absolutely not. Last night on Comcast SportsNet, Art Fennell had my favorite interview, first interviewing a guy about his lucky Phillies shirt (”Hey, keep wearing that shirt and your lucky hat”), following that up with a borderline-nonsensical statement (”You don’t often get an encore performance in a sports bar”) and finishing up with a weird comment about Cliff Lee (”He’s already given you blood”) that elicits the only possible response (”More blood!”). The “More blood!” guy was our expert of the night, because he knew the game would be up to Cliff Lee and Chase Utley or whatever. There was also a dude in the background twirling a rally towel and somebody chanting, “Two more wins!”

The way I see it, interviewing fans postgame is about the silliest, most pointless part of any station’s coverage, so it might as well be done as a sort of surrealist theater, where people use empty phrases to cheer on the Phillies. Good job, Comcast SportsNet and Art Fennell. You’ve elevated sports bar interviews to an art form.

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