Rosenthal: Lee & Halladay in Same Deal?

I originally wasn’t going to post this because there is “no proof” that the Phillies are considering this.  However, there seems to be a lot of talk regarding this topic.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders if Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay could be traded in the same deal.  It sounds absurd, but if you read into it more, it makes a little bit of sense.  It would not be a straight up exchange; it would be a part of a three or four team trade.  Basically, Lee would be traded for prospects.  Those prospects would be sent to Toronto for Halladay.  If the Phillies send more prospects, there is a chance that the Blue Jays would eat some of Halladay’s salary.  Remember, “it’s just a hunch.”

Most of you are thinking: the idea is to have Lee AND Halladay.  Todd Zolecki of MLB.com also breaks down the idea.  Money is the issue.  Moving Lee would free up about $2 million.  The Phillies aren’t making much progress on a contract extension with Lee, who might want to test free agency next year.  Halladay, also a free agent next season, would most likely require a contract extension for him to wave his no-trade clause.  Then, the Phillies would have Halladay long term instead of Lee.  If Lee and Halladay are on the same team, and even if the Phillies are able to lower their payroll (Joe Blanton would probably be the first one to go), it’s unlikely that the Phillies would be able to keep both Lee and Halladay past 2010.

With that being said, I do not think trading Lee for Halladay is a good idea.  I’d take the risk of having Lee and Halladay on the same team for one year; a year that instantly makes the Phillies World Series favorites.  If that can’t happen, I’m perfectly fine with signing Lee long term.

What do you think?  Is trading Lee for Halladay a good or bad idea?