Thursday, July 8, 2010

Philadelphia Phillies: Four Desperate Measures for Desperate Times- Part 5

July 04, 2010 - Detroit, MI, UNITED STATES - epa02236806 Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Cliff Lee trows against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan, USA on 04 July 2010.

Part 5 of 5


4. Trade for Cliff Lee

As they say, the best defense is a good offense. Perhaps the opposite is also true- the best offense is a good defense?

Trade for Cliff Lee and you have accomplished both. 

Swallowing pride and finding a way to bring last year's postseason hero back to the club would serve as a pre-emptive strike. With top contenders reportedly interested in Lee, including the two New York teams and LA Dodgers, the Phillies could prevent their key competitors from jacking up the degree of difficulty for success. 

On the flip side, if you are having a hard time putting runs on the board, another stud starting pitcher seems the perfect antidote. 

The fact that Lee, like Halladay, has a penchant for going deep into games, thereby reducing the need to call on the bullpen, just adds icing to the cake. 

So how could the Phillies pull that off? Perhaps they could start by offering back the "talent" they received for Lee in December and sprinkle in a Jarred Cosart? If that doesn't do it, throw in Anthony Gose. 

Unless the Mariners know they fleeced the Phillies with "fool's gold" this winter, the three plus two package would seem worthy of a three month rental and dumping $4 or $5 million in salary. 

And, for those of you concerned about replenishing the team's talent pipeline, the Phillies will get a nice parting gift of high draft picks should Lee walk. 

It seems unlikely that the Phillies would be willing to commit the dollars necessary to keep Lee as his price ascends on the open market (read "New York Yankees") after the season, but in the meantime, the ace lefty could do wonders for a sagging team of stars.

Philadelphia Phillies: Four Desperate Measures for Desperate Times- Part 1

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