Chris Carlson / AP

Did the Phillies settle in acquiring Cliff Lee instead of Roy Halladay? Not at all.

OPINION

By Stan McNeal

updated 7:24 p.m. ET July 29, 2009

Finally, we take a break from the trade rumors for an actual trade.

Philadelphia has emerged as the clear favorite to repeat in the National League and has turned up the heat all the way from Toronto to Los Angeles.

Trading for Cliff Lee makes so much sense for the Phillies that you wonder why they ever seemed so intent on acquiring Roy Halladay.

Look at the two starters' numbers since the start of 2008 (prior to Halladay's start Wednesday):

Halladay has pitched 387 innings with a 2.72 ERA and .239 batting average against. He ranks second in the majors in innings and ERA in that span. Lee is fourth with 375 1/3 innings and a 2.78 ERA, with only his .263 batting average against noticeably weaker.

OK, Halladay is better — but not by much.

Lee is younger. He turns 31 next month; Halladay turned 32 earlier this season. More important, Lee is much more affordable. Halladay will make $15.75 million in 2010. Lee is due roughly half of that, at $8 million. Both will be eligible to become free agents after next season.

Then there were the other costs involved. To get Lee, the Phillies didn't have to give up rookie left-hander J.A. Happ (7-1, 2.97 ERA) or their top pitching prospect, Kyle Drabek. The Blue Jays reportedly wanted not only one, but both, for Halladay, as well as another top prospect (outfielder Dominic Brown).

Think the Blue Jays have been asking for too much? I do.

If Toronto doesn't lower its price, it could end up trying to trade Halladay in the offseason when his value will be less than what it is today. If Halladay is traded before Friday afternoon's non-waiver deadline, he can factor in the next two pennant races. If he isn't moved until the winter, he could impact only one season before he becomes a free agent.

Knowing when to settle is a tricky thing. Ask the Padres, who still have Jake Peavy eight months after they first tried to trade him. And he isn't even pitching because of an ankle injury.

Of course, if you are a member of the Blue Jays' front office, you can comfort yourself by thinking there is more pressure on the Dodgers to make a move because they need an elite starter to stay on even ground. But after seeing what the Phillies had to give up for Lee — or, rather, what they didn't have to give up — the Dodgers are less likely to overpay.

The Indians, meanwhile, appear to be writing off 2010. Why else would they give up last year's Cy Young Award winner who has a reasonable salary and receive such little immediate help?

Cleveland's four-prospect haul has a lot of upside:

• 24-year-old Class AAA shortstop Jason Donald, who has Jimmy Rollins in his way in Philly.
• 23-year-old catcher Lou Marson, who projects as an everyday catcher.
• 22-year-old righthander Carlos Carrasco, who has a 5.18 ERA in 20 starts in Class AAA this season.
• 18-year-old Jason Knapp, a hard-throwing reliever currently out with a shoulder problem. His upside supposedly is great but so is the risk, as is the case with most prospects.

The Phillies are going for it now. In addition to Lee, they also received Ben Francisco, a major league outfielder who fills a hole on a bench lacking right-handed-hitting depth.

Based on the two big deals so far — Philly's for Lee and St. Louis' for outfielder Matt Holliday last week — the teams that have acted first have come out ahead. Talking, after all, can take you only so far.

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