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MLB

Phillies Get Lee in Blockbuster Swap

Posted Jul 29, 2009 1:48PM By Ed Price (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Dodgers, Indians, Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees, MLB Inside Scoop, MLB Trade Deadline

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Cliff LeeThe Phillies have landed left-hander Cliff Lee of the Indians.

FanHouse first reported that, according to a major league source, the clubs were "very" close to deal that would send Lee to Philadelphia Wednesday afternoon. The Phillies also got outfielder Ben Francisco to bolster its right-handed bench, while sending Cleveland will Single-A right-hander Jason Knapp, right-hander Carlos Carrasco, shortstop Jason Donald and catcher Lou Marson.

This could mean Toronto hangs on to ace Roy Halladay, at least until the offseason. Halladay seemed to prefer to go to Philadelphia if he was traded. Boston might be a possibility, but the Yankees don't want to add payroll and the Dodgers may not be willing to part with the package of prospects the Blue Jays seek.

"I don't think the price comes down" on Halladay with the Phillies out of the picture, said someone close to Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi.

An official from another team quoted a Red Sox official as saying, "[The Blue Jays] are asking a lot, and I don't think it's going to get done."

Said Jays manager Cito Gaston: "I'm happy if he stays. If he stays and we get our guys back next year and add a guy or two we have a chance to make a run at it next year, if we stay healthy."

Philadelphia has been trying for most of the season to bolster its rotation. Now it has last year's AL Cy Young Award winner, giving it a 1-2-3 -- all left-handed -- of Lee, Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer.

Knapp, who turns 19 next month, is 2-7 with a 4.01 ERA in the South Atlantic League but has 111 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings. He was a second-round draft pick in 2008.

A scout who has seen Knapp said he throws 96-97 mph. "This guy could be a horse," the scout said. "He might be Danys Baez. That breaking ball, it's a long way away."

Marson, according to another scout, is "just OK ... Not the best defensive guy, and he's a singles/doubles bat. He's got the swing where he's going to hit. That's not a premium guy."

The second scout called Donald a "poor man's Michael Young" in that he isn't a great defensive shortstop but doesn't have the usual power profile for third base. "He doesn't move great at short, but he's a capable bat," the scout said.

Carrasco has "three solid [major-league] average pitches" -- i.e., fastball, curve, changeup -- with "decent control."

"At the root of this deal was balancing the conviction of our ability to compete in 2010 with the opportunity to impact the team's construction for years to come," Indians GM Mark Shapiro said in a written statement. "Without the sense of confidence in the team's ultimate competitiveness, we acted aggressively to add players that will impact the organization in 2010 and beyond."

Tags: ben+francisco, BenFrancisco, cliff+lee, CliffLee

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