Did the Phillies Make the Right Move?

Yesterday, the Phillies went out and got their front end of the rotation help by acquiring Roy Oswalt from the Houston Astros for left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ, outfielder Anthony Gose and short stop Jonathan Villar.

The key to the deal was the fact the Astros will pay $11 million of the $23 million left on Oswalt's contract. This was key because it is well known that the Phillies wanted to keep their payroll at $150 million plateau. That was the reason the organization gave when they dealt Cliff Lee to the Mariners after the Phillies acquired Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Now the debate begins if the Phillies did the right thing by trading away Lee. In some respects, the acquisition of Oswalt was the Phillies admitting to the league and to the Philly faithful that they made the wrong decision in dealing Lee.

Of course, there is no way to tell if the Phillies would have been in the same position they are in now if they had Lee or not. But the contract extension with Lee wasn't going anywhere at the time he was dealt. At the end of the season, the Phillies didn't want someone like Lee to just walk and not get something in return for him. So they thought at the time getting a couple of prospects in return for Lee would be better.

There is still a chance, but slim, that the Phillies will pick up Oswalt's 2012 option. But Oswalt will have to earn that option by his performance on the mound. Oswalt has to show that he can adjust to pitching in "the Bank." The Phils, by 2012, will have $22.5 million cleared out with the departures of Raul Ibanez and Brad Lidge. This will create room for the Phillies to re-sign Oswalt and stay under the $150 million plateau the Phils brass want to stay under.

Time will tell if Phils just rented another playoff for a race to the World Series or if this will be an important cog to their machine for the future.