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The Phillies are starting to operate like the Yanks and Sox, substituting great players for elite ones. As much as Lee did for them in the post-season -- 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA -- his career numbers are not as consistent as Halladay's. Besides, it should be easier for the Phillies to negotiate a contract extension with Halladay than Lee, considering Halladay has never pitched for a contender and lives near the Phillies spring-training site in Clearwater, Fla. This was the rare move that made both baseball sense and financial sense. By trading one Cy Young Award winner for another, the Phillies still lack depth in their rotation, but they can go righty-lefty at the top, with Halladay and Cole Hamels.
I did forget the righty/lefty angle with Halladay. I think our lefty-dominated rotation hurt us in the playoffs last year, so being able to go righty/lefty at the top is a big plus.