What have they done to our game? It's exciting, but can we keep up with all the player movement in the past few days?

Those of you who read my blogs regularly already know I'm a big fan of Seattle General Manager Jack Zduriencik. My feelings have even grown stronger with his acquisition of Cliff Lee in the biggest deal of the off season. Lee may not bring a championship to Seattle, but Zduriencik showed that he wants to win and he will do what it takes to make that happen. He has "rented" Lee at a cost of team prospects. Allegedly, those three players will be right-handed relief pitcher Phillippe Aumont, right handed starter Juan Ramirez and outfielder Tyson Gilles. No players names have been announced and the deal is still not official. Yes, that's a hefty price to pay for a possible one year player. However, teaming Lee with Felix the Cat in a ballpark like Safeco Field is probably worth the price. Aumont will likely show up as a back of the bullpen set-up man or closer for Philly. He has a hip problem that limits his stamina and pitch count. Make no mistake. He can pitch with velocity. He has to command his pitches better, but that should certainly come sooner than later. The Phils are also said to be getting the hard throwing Ramirez. He's the one I have a problem with. Ramirez throws as high as 96 and sits in the 90's with regularity. He has an excellent repertoire of FB, slider, change and cutter. He could be a key addition to the Phils. It must have been tough to give him up. Lee on the other hand is a finished product with a Cy Young history in the American League. He now moves to a pitcher friendly ballpark where his stuff plays like a tuned piano. Going righty-lefty with Hernandez and Lee at the top of the rotation will make it very difficult for opponent teams to get by in a playoff series. Add Chone Figgins to the mix on an everyday basis and the Mariners have really improved their chances. And what if they get Jason Bay to play left field? Somehow I don't think the Mariners are finished dealing. And they could still sniff around for another starting pitcher. I like what Zduriencik has done about trying to win now!

Why would Ruben Amaro, Jr. move Cliff Lee when Lee has one more year on his deal? I've been asked that more than once. Here's my take. I think the Philadelphia folks may have had preliminary discussions with Lee's people and determined that he would be a very difficult long-term sign. Lee played with C. C. Sabathia and he saw what Sabathia got when his Free Agency period began. Lee has similar credentials as Sabathia. Why shouldn't Lee also get to pitch for the Yankees or Red Sox? Somehow, the Phillies realized that Doc Halladay was available now. He was willing to negotiate an extension to his existing deal to be able to pitch in Philadelphia and train near his home in Florida. That, coupled with the fact that they also get two pitchers back from Seattle and Doc Halladay made it a very savvy deal for Philly. Doc allows them to use a righty starter along with Happ and Hamels (assuming neither of them end up in the final deal.) If rumor becomes fact, Toronto will get prized starter Kyle Drabek, catcher Travis D'Arnaud and outfielder Michael Tucker from Philadelphia. Not too shabby.

Of course Drabek is the cornerstone for Toronto. No Drabek, probably no deal. Remember, former General Manager J.P. Ricciardi was in constant contact about Hallady with Philadelphia last summer before the trade deadline. It is believed Ricciardi wanted Drabek at that time and was turned down. Who knows? That may or may not be true. If Drabek is involved in this deal, new General Manager Alex Anthopoulos must be congratulated for getting maximum return for a player that could have been leaving the club via Free Agency at the end of the season. True, the player is one of the very best pitchers in today's game. But Drabek, D'Arnaud and Taylor (if they are indeed the payers going to Toronto) constitute an excellent compensation package-better than draft picks.
Drabek has outstanding upside. It must be pointed out, however, that Drabek had Tommy John Surgery in 2007. Drabek has good velocity on his fastball and an excellent assortment of breaking pitches that continually baffle hitters. Maybe a little more Minor League seasoning will help, but Drabek is said to be very close to Major League ready. D'Arnaud is an outstanding defensive catcher with a very strong and accurate arm. He'll be 21 in February. His bat lags behind his defense, but he has outstanding upside and should be a Major League catcher in time. Taylor has a combination of power and speed but is not seen as a good defensive outfielder. Toronto already has that situation with Travis Snider, but Taylor will be a welcome addition if he is in the deal. Snider has more power than Taylor. Taylor's bat speed and his quickness through the ball are both very positive.

One of the most important transactions that has been announced involves Juan Pierre going from the Dodgers to the White Sox. Apparently the Dodgers will be paying more than half of the remaining money on Pierre's contract. That will leave Chicago with a balance of 3M in '10 and 5M in '11. Pierre escapes the bench of the Dodgers for a full time gig in Chicago (more than likely.) The Dodgers become totally vulnerable if Manny isn't Manny anymore and if one of their two outfield gems, Ethier or Kemp falter or get injured. It's risky business but it frees up money for Ned Colletti to go get needed 4th and 5th starters.
Pierre will be missed in L.A.

And what about the Angels of Anaheim? They have lost Figgins, John Lackey and probably Vlad Guerrero. They have replaced Guerrero with Hideki Matsui. Matsui should really thrive in southern California even though, like Guerrero, he has bad knees and can only DH. While he got great benefit from the new right field porch at Yankee Stadium, Matsui should feel comfortable and well received by a great manager. The Angels need his bat. Where does Guerrero go with gimpy knees and an inability to play defense? I don't really know. Yankees? Orioles? White Sox? In today's world of baseball, anything can happen.

Next time I'll write about John Lackey to Boston, Aroldis Chapman, the actual players that were dealt in "Lets Make A Deal" and Matt Holliday.
For now, let's catch our collective breaths and wait for the next set of spikes to drop.