Thank You Captain Obvious

Phillies' skipper Charlie Manuel told reporters he would have loved to have Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee in his rotation.

All I can say is...duh!

Who wouldn't want both Doc and Cliff pitching on back to back days. The difficult part to swallow is that according to GM Ruben Amaro, it wasn't a payroll issue. Cliff Lee is slotted to earn $9 million during the 2010 season while righty Joe Blanton will earn $7 million. For a mere $2 million, Amaro could have dealt Blanton and headed to 2010 the clear cut favorite to win a third consecutive pennant. What Amaro did was take a stand that he had to know would be fairly unpopular among fans. The prospects exiting Philadelphia to get Lee and Halladay left the farm system woefully depleted. While Blanton would have received something in return, it would not be nearly the quality or quantity that the Phillies got from Seattle for Lee.

Basically Amaro opted to be competitive for seasons to come instead of stacking the deck for another run in 2010 and then having a large void once completed. There is definite doubt as to whether the Phils would have the payroll to sign Lee at the end of 2010. While their rotation this season would look stellar, its 2011 rotation would be lacking and not much help would be on the way from Triple-A.

Another factor to consider is the free agency of breakout right fielder Jayson Werth. Werth is going to want to get paid and given his production during his stay in Philly, I'd say it's reasonable. Cliff Lee did wonderful things over the last two seasons, but his career is still young and riddled with inconsistency. In sacrificing Lee for Halladay, Amaro shrewdly changed the course of the organization for the next few seasons and ensured a competitive product will take the field day in and day out.

Not many general managers would have the gusto to make a move like this, especially less than one full year into their tenure. Amaro has proved he is the right man for the job and will not let media or fan pressure dictate his moves. I can't wait for the day Roy Halladay accepts his Cy Young and World Series MVP Awards, purely to see the satisfaction on Ruben's face.