Lots of movement on the roster front this past week, with the most notable move being the four-team deal that nets out with a paid of Cy Young winners getting shipped out – for each other. Cliff Lee is heading from the NL Champion Phillies over to the Seattle Mariners and Roy Halladay moves from Toronto down to the city of brotherly love. The Oakland A’s and Jays ended up with a number of high-quality prospects from the assortment of teams involved as well. Halladay moving was no surprise, but Lee’s quick exit from Philadelphia just months after he arrived there from Cleveland was a bit out of left field.
Check out ESPN’s Buster Olney breakdown on the transactions:
Cliff Lee was just as surprised by the move from Philly as the rest of us, telling the AP that he’d thought he would “be spending the rest of [his] career there.” Well, I think Phillies fans won’t be crying about this anytime soon, if Halladay handles the transition to the NL as well as Lee did.
As for Seattleites, they’re having a head-scratcher of a week, with the club bringing in one stellar starter in Lee while parting with a headache in Carlos Silva – for Chicago’s own headache, Milton Bradley. Bradley, who was suspended for the final two weeks of the season by the Cubs, is hoping to turn a corner in his new city.
Other moves of note:
- The New York Yankees signed Nick Johnson, who had started his career with the team.
- The Boston Red Sox have apparently waved bye-bye to Jason Bay, but have powered up by bringing in OF Mike Cameron and P John Lackey, who leaves the Angels in a lurch.
- Those same Angels look to add a solid bat to their lineup, taking on World Series MVP Hideki Matsui with a one-year deal. As a Yankee fan, I’m definitely sad to see Matsui leave, and agree with some of the critics, who think Matsui could have stayed instead of the signing of Nick Johnson. Unfortunately, I’m not signing the checks.