Monday Money Moves

You didn’t have to go outside in the winter weather and brave the cold to see a Blockbuster Monday. Roy Halladay is headed to the National League and Cliff Lee returns to the American League in a three way blockbuster baseball blitz. Halladay’s exit from Toronto means the Yankees won’t have to face the CY Young winner as often. It’s good news New York’s division rival Bluejays will not be armed with the best ace in baseball. The bad news is the Yankees’ greatest rival picked up a new hurler for their rotation. Boston solidified their starting pitching by adding free agent 31 year old, John Lackey. Lackey signed with the Red Sox for five years in one of two major moves by Boston to retool the team. Veteran outfielder, Mike Cameron, also reached a tentative two year deal with Boston. The rotation in Beantown is shaping up to be one of the game’s best. Lackey joins a tough rotation that already includes stopper Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Daisuke Matsuzaka and knuckleballer, Tim Wakefield. The right-handed Lackey is one of the top AL throwers. His regular season record of 102-71 over eight seasons in Anaheim is respectable. The now-former Angel has struggled at Fenway Park. He posts a 2-5 record and carries a 5.75 ERA in nine starts in Boston. The 1999 second round draft pick also has a history of injuries and hasn’t started 30 games since 2007.
Philadelphia added an elite starter in Halladay. Seattle obtained a CY Young winner in Lee. Both clubs are poised to compete for the playoffs with new number one aces on their staff. Halladay and Cole Hamels create a devasting righty-lefty tandem at the top of the Phillies’ rotation. The Mariners have a very capable complement to Felix Hernandez with the formidable Lee toeing the rubber. Toronto, the team with the most expensive present under the free agent Christmas tree, reloaded with prospects in the exchange. The Phillies will also land a package of prospects in the deal. Halladay had a no trade clause in his contract. The Phillies were one of the teams in his list because their Spring training site was close to his hometown. He preferred to play for Philadelphia, and now he will join the defending NL champions in their quest to return to the World Series in 2010. Halladay’s signing is expected to cost the Phillies $20 million per season. Philadelphia was enamored and awestruck with the ace righty a year ago, but were unable to reach a deal. Instead, they acquired Lee from Cleveland two days before the deadline. The 2008 CY Young winner, Lee was 4-0 in the post-season. Halladay was more signable than Lee this off-season. The Phillies just hope Roy’s AL dominance translates into NL success.
Lee’s anticipated arrival in Seattle is the highlight of many key off-season moves for the Mariners so far this winter. The 31 year old will have Eliezer Alfonzo as his battery-mate. The 30 year old backstop helped shore up the catching situation by signing a minor league deal with Seattle. Catcher, Kenji Johjima, chose to depart the Pacific Northwest and play ball in Japan. The Mariners were spared about $15 million because of the surprising decision. The M’s also signed leadoff hitter, Chone Figgins, away from the Angels in an attempt to close the gap on the AL West race. Last year, the Mariners staged a 24 game turnaround to lead the majors. The Mariners have the best one-two punch in the West, and four top defensive starters. Pitching and defense usually wins championships. Anaheim losing Lackey and the Mariners’ reeling in Lee combined for one pleasant Monday in Seattle. Fans can already see Anaheim’s division lead slipping away. The Angels didn’t remain completely silent, however. The Halos picked up World Series MVP, Hideki Matsui , for one year. Fresh off his memorable MVP series with the Yankees, the Japanese slugger should add pop to the Angels’ lineup for his $6.5 million asking price.

Parting Points: I am not a big fan of the Big 10’s examination into expanding the conference into 12 teams. I guess I’m a traditionalist.
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