Doc Just What the Phillies Ordered

UPDATE 11 PM
Okay, I was really out of it when I got home tonight..this is actually a three team deal involving the Mariners in addition to the Blue Jays and Phillies. The latest would send Halladay to the Phillies, Cliff Lee to the Mariners, and J.A. Happ or Kyle Drabek, outfielder Michael Taylor and catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud to the Blue Jays.

While this is still a good deal for the Phillies, I'm not loving it for the Jays so much any more now that there aren't two automatics for their rotation.

A lot happens when you have no access to any media for most of the day. Imagine my surprise when I just heard that Roy Halladay was in Philadelphia today for a physical. Halladay has reportedly been dealt from the Blue Jays for pitchers Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ, and outfielder Dominic Brown.

Reportedly Halladay's agent Greg Landry was working with the Phils on a new contract. The deal would most likely fall through if no deal were reached. The commissioner's office has given the teams a 72 hour window to get the trade completed.

The Phillies have decisions to make going forward. In addition to doling out big bucks to Halladay, current Phillie Cliff Lee is looking for a deal with CC Sabathia type money ($23 mill per year). Lee won't be a free agent until after the 2010 season.

The Phillies were already the front-runner to repeat as NL East division winners next season, but the deal would give them an even bigger advantage. Especially if Cole Hamels can recapture his 2008 form.

This is a good deal for the Blue Jays as well, getting two major league starters. Blanton has a tendency to fight his weight as well as the strike zone, but is a consistent pitcher. Happ, a rookie in '09, has a tremendous up side. The 22-yr old Brown put together a .299-14-64 season playing at three different levels this past season. He also stole 23 bases. Baseball America ranked Brown as the Phillies top prospect prior to the '09 season.