The Phillies will be receiving Roy Halladay and $6 million from the Blue Jays in addition to three minor leaguers (Juan Ramirez, Tyson Gillies and Phillippe Aumont) from the Mariners. The Mariners will be getting Cliff Lee from the Phillies.

The Blue Jays will get their hands on three highly regarded prospects — Kyle Drabek from the Phillies, Travis d’Arnaud from the Phillies and Brett Wallace from the A’s. The A’s will be getting minor leaguer Michael Taylor from the Blue Jays.

What is the logic behind this trade? The Phillies will be basically trading one great pitcher for another great pitcher. The reason they prefer Halladay is that they feel they can keep him around for a longer period of time. Lee, on the other hand, is likely to test free agent waters next offseason.

For the Blue Jays, they’ve been trying to rebuild by trading Halladay. The Mariners get a pitching stud to put at the top of their rotation next to Felix Hernandez, while the A’s get a minor league prospect that they have coveted.

Roy Halladay is about to be traded to the Phillies (Image: Zuma Press)

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Lee, who the Phillies traded for during the middle of the season and quickly became the squad’s ace, was outstanding. He pitched all nine innings and didn’t give up a run until the ninth inning. When it was all said and done, Lee had given up six hits, no earned runs, no walks and struck out ten batters.

Utley hit a solo homer in the third inning to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. In the sixth inning, Utley hit another solo shot off of C.C. Sabathia to give Philadelphia a 2-0 lead. The Phillies added two runs in the eighth and two runs in the ninth to coast to a relatively easy victory.

In Game 2 of the World Series, the Phillies will send Pedro Martinez to the mound. The Yankees will counter with A.J. Burnett. If the Phillies can take another game at Yankee Stadium, New York would be in a world of hurt. Stay tuned for a must-see Game 2 that promises to be a thriller!

The Cliff Lee trade has been gold for the Phillies (Image: Zuma Press)

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Ryan Howard started the momentum for Philadelphia. His two-run triple in the bottom of the first inning opened the gates. When it was all said and done, the Phillies had handed the Dodgers an 11-0 thrashing.

Howard and Shane Victorino finished with three RBIs, while Jayson Werth had two. Every starter for the Phillies scored — including pitcher Cliff Lee.

Speaking of Lee, he was tremendous. In eight innings, he gave up three hits and no walks while striking out ten batters. The Dodgers, on the other hand, saw starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda last only 1.1 innings.

The two teams play again on Monday. Randy Wolf will be on the hill for L.A., while Joe Blanton toes the rubber for Philly.

Ryan Howard - Philadelphia Phillies (Image: Zuma Press)

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After striking out in their bid to land Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays, the Phillies called the Cleveland Indians about their ace. The two teams soon agreed to a deal that sent Lee to Philadelphia in return for four minor league prospects.

Lee’s Cy Young award numbers were obviously impressive. He had a 22-3 record to go along with a 2.54 ERA. This season, Lee has continued to pitch well. He has a 3.14 ERA and a record of 7-9. Considering that the Indians are 42-60, his record is relatively good.

On the Phillies, Lee will form an intimidating one-two punch with Cole Hamels atop the starting pitching rotation. When the playoffs arrive, Philadelphia is now a team no one wants to see across the diamond. Already stacked with a potent offense, their pitching should also be a strength now as well.

The Indians received catcher Lou Marson, pitcher Jason Knapp, shortstop Jason Donald and pitcher Carlos Carrasco.

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Cliff Lee Near No-Hitter (Image: Zuma Press)

Lee finished with nine innings pitched and six strikeouts while allowing three hits and two walks. On the season, he’s 4-6 with a 2.88 ERA. Last season, Lee was 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA.

At the plate, the Indians got their runs via the long ball. Mark DeRosa hit a two-run blast in the first innings and Kelly Shoppach followed that up with a solo shot in the fifth.

With the win, the Indians are 29-36. The Cardinals dropped to 34-30.

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When looking at Lee’s numbers, it’s difficult to keep your jaw from hitting the floor. He had a record of 22-3 to go along with a 2.54 ERA and a microscopic WHIP of 1.11. He also had 170 strikeouts and only 33 walks in 223.1 innings pitched.

The 30-year-old Lee had by far his best season in 2008. In 2007, Lee had a 6.29 ERA and a record of 5-8. In fact, in his previous four seasons, he only had one campaign with an ERA under 4.00.

Second place in the AL Cy Young Award balloting was Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Roy Halladay. Halladay, who already has a Cy Young Award to his name, finished 20-11 with a 2.78 ERA.

Lee finished with 24 first place votes, while Halladay got four. Lee joins National League Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.

Photo credit: Newscom

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4) Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays
Another year, another Roy Halladay great season. Perhaps the most underrated pitcher in the entire major leagues, Halladay currently has a 2.81 ERA and a 19-11 record. It took the Blue Jays a while it kick it into gear this season but Halladay has been behind their late season resurgence.

3) Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox
After signing that enormous contract last season, Daisuke Matsuzaka got off to a relatively slow start to his big league career in the United States. However this season, Matsuzaka has been everything the Red Sox wished he’d become. He has an amazing 18-2 record to go with a sparkling 2.80 ERA. If this were any other year, he’d be a great candidate to take home the Cy Young Award.

2) Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians
Seemingly out of nowhere Cliff Lee has put up ridiculous stats this season. He leads the American League in wins and ERA at 22 and 2.41, respectively. He only has two losses and has been a consistent force for the Indians all season long. Considering that the Indians underperformed for much of the year, Lee’s strong season is even that much more spectacular.

1) Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles Angels
The only thing standing between Cliff Lee and the Cy Young Award is Francisco Rodriguez. The Angels closer has had one of the best seasons of all-time for a reliever as he’s amassed a major league record number of saves. To date, Rodriguez has 61 saves and an ERA of 2.31. It’s difficult for relievers to win the Cy Young, but Rodriguez’s season is noteworthy enough that he has a very good shot at taking home the trophy.

Francisco Rodriguez has pitched his name into the record books and Cy Young consideration.

Photo: Newscom

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NL MVP – Lance Berkman, Houston Astros
Sure, the Astros are a bad team and chances are slim that they will make the playoffs. That said, Berkman is having a career year and is the best hitter in the NL to date this season.

AL Cy Young – Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians
Mariano Rivera might be having his best season in his career but Lee has been amazing. His 12-2 record is very impressive, as is his 2.31 ERA. Lee was nothing special until this year but now the Cleveland ace is making a name for himself.

NL Cy Young – Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati Reds
Josh Hamilton is playing amazing baseball for the Texas Rangers, however the Reds have to be happy with their offseason move. The Reds got Volquez from the Rangers and he has consistently been the best pitcher in the NL this season.

AL Rookie of the Year – Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
One day soon, Evan Longoria might become more famous than Eva Longoria. He’s the clear cut rookie of the year in the AL — and it’s not even close. He has exceeded all the hype he had coming into the season.

NL Rookie of the Year – Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs
A lot of players on the Cubs are getting notoriety this season but one can argue that Soto is the most valuable player on Chicago’s roster. He has stepped in as a rookie and is playing great baseball.

Is Geovany Soto the best player on the Cubs?

Photo: Newscom

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CC Sabathia was struggling earlier in the season, but he has turned it around. He started the streak and he’s the one who pushed it to 43 1/3 on Wednesday. After starting the season off horribly, CC Sabathia now has a 5.47 ERA and has only allowed one run in his last 16 innings.

Here is a video regarding the Cleveland Indians and the scoreless streak by their starting pitchers:

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1) Mark Reynolds, Arizona Diamondbacks
A lot of people liked the Diamondbacks coming into the season. Few thought that they’d be this dominant this early. Mark Reynolds, the 24-year-old third baseman for Arizona, has been a monster in this early season.

2) Lance Berkman, Houston Astros
Lance Berkman has been an enigma in recent years. He has massive potential but for whatever reasons, he hasn’t yet put it all together. However, his start to the 2008 season gives Astros fans hope.

3) Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
Coming into this season, Hanley Ramirez was thought of as a top three fantasy baseball player and he hasn’t disappointed. It’s scary to think how Ramirez is only 24-years-old and hasn’t even scratched his prime yet. This kid is going to be special for a long time.

4) Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians
It’s good to see Cliff Lee off to such a wonderful start. Last year was just a total disaster for the left-hander on the Indians. If he can get back to his 2005 level, Cleveland will be that much better this season.

5) Gabe Kapler, Milwaukee Brewers
Yes, that Gabe Kapler. The body builder turned baseball player turned minor league manager is back to being a baseball player. Right now, it looks like a brilliant decision. The Brewers are certainly glad Kapler decided to put the cleats back on.

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