The Deal

Succinct description of the Lee-Halladay deal and the events surrounding the trading deadline this past July, including naming the four players Toronto wanted back then - Happ, Drabek, Brown, Gose - which is insane and rightly rejected by Amaro.

The players that form the Phillies' nucleus — Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins — are entering the latter phase of their primes. In Halladay, the Phillies have a bona fide ace to join them for the long haul, with just enough left in their farm system to feel protected.