Phillies Trade Thread: July 26
-Yesterday, the Phillies shot down an offer that would have netted them Roy Halladay for J.A. Happ, Kyle Drabek, and Dominic Brown. The Phillies countered with J.A Happ, Carlos Carrasco, Michael Taylor, and Jason Donald. J.P Ricciardi shot the counter offer down.
-The Blue Jays also turned down a deal from the Angels centered around Jered Weaver and a few mid-level prospects.
–Jon Heyman of SI.com tweeted that the Phillies are now strongly considering Cliff Lee instead of Roy Halladay. Looks like Ruben Amaro is trying to give Ricciardi a taste of his own medicine.
–Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer says that sources have told him Lee can be had for a package of second-tier prospects like Carrasco and Donald.
–Ken Rosenthal is reporting a possible blockbuster deal between the Dodgers and Indians that would send both Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez to L.A. for James Loney, a young pitcher, and a bunch of prospects. Wow, that sort of deal could send major waves through all of baseball.
-The Phillies have scout Charley Kerfield in Seattle today to look at Cliff Lee against the Mariners. Do they legitimately want Lee, or is this part of the Halladay game being played?
-Phillies prospect Dominic Brown is being scouted in Clearwater by the Toronto Blue Jays, according to Martino.
-Erik Bedard has landed on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder inflammation. If you’re keeping track at home, you can cross Bedard off of your “pitchers to trade for” list.
-John Smoltz had another poor outing for the Boston Red Sox today against the Baltimore Orioles. Couple that with the trade rumors surrounding the Sox that they had offered Clay Buchholz to the Cleveland Indians for catcher Victor Martinez. What does it all mean? If Boston is unsure of their pitching staff due to the injury to Tim Wakefield and the so-so performances of John Smoltz and Brad Penny lately, they could try to jump back into the running for Halladay or Lee.
-They have also been rumored to offer hot prospects Michael Bowden and Justin Masterson in a package to Cleveland, which was also turned down. Could they be gearing up for a run at a big named pitcher?
