Doc in Phil?

The Roy Halladay trade talks have been dwindling recently. According to Blue Jays’ GM J.P. Ricciardi, no team has been “aggressive” enough. The Jays are in rebuilding mode, so an aggressive trade would include a few top prospects, including a pitcher. In Boston, few were willing to throw in touted righty Clay Buchholz; in the Big Apple, flamethrower Joba Chamberlain was untouchable; in Philly, 22 year-old Kyle Drabek was considered too good to give up. Until now, that is. It appears that the Philadelphia Phillies are warming up to the idea of parting with their top pitching prospect. But why would a team running away with the NL East (9-game win streak, 6.0 game lead) surrender the most important building block of their farm system for an aging pitcher that historically pitches better before the All-Star Break than after?

For one, Halladay isn’t any ordinary aging pitcher. If he joined 46 year-old Jamie Moyer on the Phillies rotation, Philly would be home to two of the biggest freaks of nature in the Major Leagues. Thirty-two year-old Roy Halladay has amazingly pitched 7+ innings in 16 of his 18 total starts this season, and has a miniscule 2.73 ERA. Even though Moyer’s 23-year Major League experience is valuable in the clubhouse, having a pitcher who is pushing 50 won’t win you the World Series. Sure, he’ll win some games along the way, and his experience is valuable in the clubhouse, but with a 9-6 record, Moyer has shown that he can be hit. What the Phillies lack is a lights-out starter. It’s debatable whether they actually need one at this point in the season, as their explosive offense can keep them atop an ever-weakening NL East. They lead the NL in runs scored, as well as in home runs hit. However, pitching wins in the postseason. If you can assemble three or four pitchers in whom you are confident they can pull out a win against any team, you’re in good shape. And I don’t think the Phillies have that right now. Jamie Moyer is their winningest pitcher, but has defeated only one team with a record better than .500—the Brewers (48-46). Joe Blanton has a career record of barely .500, and Cole Hamels’s season (5-5, 4.72) has been disappointing to say the least. Even with all this said, for now, the Phills probably don’t need Halladay—they have their division locked up, and don’t really need a playoff push at the end of the season. If they make a move to acquire Doc, it’s not a sign that Charlie Manuel isn’t comfortable with his rotation the way it is now; it’s a sign he plans on needing a sure-fire starter, come October.