Cliff Lee a Phillie

Thank you Phillies for holding off on making any deals while I was away. I may be a day late to the party but it is time to share my thoughts on the acquisition of Cliff Lee to the Phillies roster.

The Phillies acquired left handed pitcher Cliff Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for prospects Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Jason Donald and Jason Knapp. Knapp is considered the prize prospect in the deal for Cleveland.

With Lee added to the mix the starting rotation is hardly a concern any more. Lee was the winner of the AL Cy Young last season when he went 22-3. He brings with him a 7-9 record in 2009 but remember that he has been playing for a woeful Indians squad that is currently 42-60. Lee's 3.14 ERA shows that he is not to blame fully for his record. He has recorded 107 strike outs and walked 33 batters to date. In the month of July he has not given up more than three runs. Lee has given up more than four runs just twice this season.

Packaged in the deal is Ben Francisco, a utility type outfielder who can also provide the Phillies with a more reliable right handed bat off the bench. Francisco owns a .250 batting average and has connected for ten home runs, scored 48 runs and totaled 33 runs batted in. Francisco figures to be the best right hand bat in pinch hitting situations rather than Eric Bruntlett or John Mayberry Jr. In fact, Mayberry could be on his way back to Lehigh Valley with the addition of Francisco.

What Ruben Amaro Jr. did was acquire a top of the rotation pitcher and a right hand bat for the bench, both crucial needs to the team. To do so he did not have to give up any of the top prospects that are on the verge of breaking in on the big league club. Kyle Drabek was a requirement for any deal with Toronto for Roy Halladay, and Michael Taylor and Domin Brown were also mentioned to be requested by Toronto. Now these young players will remain in the farm system and hopefully fulfill the Phillies' expectations in the coming years.

Also key to this move is the ability to hold on to JA Happ who, although he took a loss last night in Arizona (his second straight loss), has shown that he has what it takes to anchor the back end of the rotation. Happ may be a leading candidate for National League Rookie of the Year. Any deal for Halladay may have sent Happ packing for north of the border as well. With the deal with Cleveland Amaro kept all of the top young talent at home and improved the team vastly.

Kudos to Amaro, and welcome to Lee and Francisco! Lee and Francisco are expected to meet up with the Phillies today in San Francisco. Francisco may be available tonight while it has not yet been determined when Lee will get his first start in a Phillies uniform. Lee was scheduled to start Saturday for the Indians, and could start Friday or Saturday for the Phillies.