The word is (from Jon Heyman of SI.com, found at Metsblog) that the Phillies got Roy Halladay, the Mariners got the Phillies’ Cliff Lee, and the Toronto Blue Jays (Halladay’s initial team) got prospects from Philadelphia and Seattle.
And John Lackey’s in Boston, getting checked out. (Same sources as previous.)
You know what this really means?
It means Cliff Lee–an amazingly dominant pitcher in this most recent World Series–has moved from the National League to the American League. It does not mean the Phillies have both Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay as a one-two punch.
It means the Phillies have given up Cliff Lee, money, and prospects for some unspecified number of years of Roy Halladay.
It means John Lackey, who could’ve wound up in our local market and given Mets fans who sweat the latest Yankee move, has become a problem that’s solely the province of Yankee fans.
It means the Mets have not signed a pitcher with elbow problems or a pitcher who’s about to enter the second phase of his career–one that could be defined by increasing decrepitude just as easily as it can be defined by greatness.
I think the Mets come up aces here. They’ve got Johan Santana; they can still hunt for Jason Marquis (unless I’ve lost total contact with the world and Marquis has moved–if so, please email me about it, ’cause that’s the only way I’ll know). Is Garland still free? I’ve eaten three meals in three days; please send word and a Five Guys cheeseburger.
Furthermore, two teams with relatively sensible GMs have just set the bar for free-agent pitching contracts. Other pitchers, whose hype has not dominated the wires over the past weeks, will fall short of said bar.
Cerrone’s freaking out a bit. And he has legitimate concerns. But I think the Mets are astoundingly lucky here. The Phillies could’ve managed Cliff Lee AND Roy Halladay; the Yankees could’ve had Sabathia, Burnett, and Lackey in their rotation.
Frankly, as fans we’re at the exact same number of wins and losses we were at when the week began. As Neil Mink tells Tony Soprano at the end of “All Due Respect”: be of good cheer.
omniality
Section Five Twenty-Eight 
