So, Roy Halladay isn’t coming to Philadelphia.

I’m cool with it. Actually, I’m happy the Phillies didn’t have to give up their best prospects — pitcher Kyle Drabek, and outfielders Dominic Brown and Michael Taylor.

Instead, the Phils reportedly acquired Cliff Lee of the Indians for Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, Lou Marson and Jason Knapp.

Carrasco hasn’t panned out the way the Phillies had hoped. He’s been highly touted for years now, but hasn’t progressed well in the minor leagues.

Jason Donald burst on to the scene last season with a great year for Double-A Reading. He’s been injured and has struggled this year at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, batting only .236 with a .297 on-base percentage in 51 games. Not good.

The addition of Cliff Lee gives the Phillies one of the best one-two punches (with Cole Hamels) in the National League.

Marson also came on strong last year with Reading. Overall, he’s done well with the bat at Lehigh Valley (.297, 1 HR, 24 RBI, .382 OBP.) Defensively, Marson is average at best. He’ll be a solid major league at some point, but he’s no Joe Mauer…

Knapp is a raw talent, but many publications rank him as the No. 3 pitcher the Phillies had in the minors, behind Drabek and Carrasco. The 18-year-old was 2-7 with a 4.01 ERA at Single-A Lakewood.

Lee, meanwhile, is a proven winner. He solidifies the Phillies’ starting rotation. He and Cole Hamles give the Phillies one of the best one-two punches in the NL.

Questions are always asked by the team’s starting rotation. At this point, the Phillies have Hamels, Lee, Blanton and Happ to throw out there during the postseason. And which NL teams have a better 1-thru-4? Not many.

While it’s disappointing the Phillies couldn’t acquire Roy Halladay, they got a steal in Lee.

The Phillies have traded for Cleveland Indians ace Cliff Lee, according to Ken Rosenthal of Foxsports.com.

The Phillies are reportedly acquiring Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco for Carlos Carrasco, Jason Knapp, Jason Donald and Lou Marson.

More details to follow …

The Phillies’ chances of acquiring Roy Halladay have declined with each day.

A deal for Cliff Lee seems more likely and talks are heating up, reports Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.

Three Cleveland Indians scouts are watching top prospect Carlos Carrasco pitch in an 11 a.m. EST game for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. It appears Carrasco would be the key piece in a trade for Lee.

Cliff Lee isn't Roy Halladay. But he isn't Turk Wendel or Omar Daal, either.

The Phillies may be able to work out a way to avoid trading Kyle Drabek, the highly touted Double-A Reading hurler, as well as top position player prospectDominic Brown.

According to Stark, a package for Lee could include Carrasco, a top position-player prospect(Jason Donald, probably) and Class-A pitchers Jason Knapp and Trevor May.

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OK, so Ruben Amaro Jr. and the Phillies brass absolutely, positively, without-a-shadow-of-a-doubt WILL NOT trade Kyle Drabek to the Blue Jays. How do I feel about that? Not many Phillies fans would agree with me, but I’m fine with Lee instead of Halladay. The Phillies aren’t going to move Drabek and that’s that. Frankly, I’m already dreaming of a rotation that includes Cole Hamels, Lee, Happ and Drabek next season…. sounds good to me.

Lee isn’t some middle-of-the-road pitcher. He’s an ace. He’s a Cy Young Award recipient. He’s not THE top guy, but he’s not some stop-gap solution, either. He’s a guy that can get you deep into games and if the Phillies can get him without surrendering Drabek… go for it.

In case you missed it, ESPN.com reported Sunday that the Phillies’ counteroffer for Roy Halladay was rejected.

The Phillies offered pitchers J.A. Happ and Carlos Carrasco,  outfielder Michael Taylor and infielder Jason Donald. The Blue Jays were not impressed.

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I’m convinced the Phillies have to offer Drabek to get the deal done. Why not come back with Drabek, Carrasco/Jason Knapp, Michael Taylor and Donald. It’s believed that the Jays want a big league ready player… but I think the Jays would be flexible if offered arguably your top four prospects…

J.P. Ricciardi and the Blue Jays are a lot like the Soup Nazi. "No Drabek?? No Halladay for you!" OK, lame, but for whatever reason this beloved Seinfeld character popped in my head just before I published...

According to ESPN, the Phillies have rejected the Blue Jays’ trade proposal for Roy Halladay.

The Jays were asking for minor league prospects Kyle Drabek and Dominic Brown, as well as J.A. Happ.

The Phillies do not want to give up both Drabek and Happ, according to the report.

MLB.com reported that Jays assistant general manager Tony LaCava scouted the latest outing of Triple-A pitcher Carlos Carrasco, who could possibly be included in the trade, in replace of either Drabek or Happ.

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Does this mean a deal is dead? I don’t think so. I would imagine the Phillies will work aggressively in trying to get something

done. I wouldn’t be surprised if somehow the Phillies include both Drabek and Carrasco, as well as Brown or Michael Taylor.  I think this news decreases the Phillies’ chances of acquiring Halladay, but not by a drastic percentage…

In reality... this COULD happen!

There’s one week until the trade deadline and the Phillies appear to be the team in the best position to acquire Roy Halladay.

Everyone knows the deal by now. Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi has thrown his best player under the bus by discussing the possibility of trading Halladay.

In recent days, Ricciardi has stated that Halladay “probably” won’t get traded. That’s just his way of upping the ante, trying to bait teams into offering the Jays a too-good-to-turn-down trade proposal.

Halladay’s trade value isn’t going to be higher than it is RIGHT now.

And, according to multiple reports and Internet blogs such as this one, the Phillies are the frontrunners to land Halladay. They have all the essentials to get it done.

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro should go to Ricciardi and tell him to pick four prospects. Any four.

That includes top pitchers Kyle Drabek, Carlos Carrasco and Jason Knapp, stud outfielders Michael Taylor and Dominic Brown, and catcher-of-the-future Lou Marson.

It boggles my mind when I hear Phillies fans say that giving up Drabek, for example, would be a huge mistake. Those people are the same fans who bitch and moan about the Eagles not acquiring a No. 1 wide receiver every year.

So what if Drabek develops into ace? The Phillies shouldn’t be worried about their future. They have a team built to win RIGHT NOW, and possibly win two or three more championships in the next 3-4 years.

Having Roy Halladay around for at least two seasons (2009 and 2010) would surely make them the favorite to win it all again.

GET IT DONE!!

Fresh off Monday’s 22-1 shellacking of the Reds, Tuesday brought more good news if you’re a Phillies fan:

Lou Marson is one of the Phillies' best prospects... but I wouldn't mind seeing him dealt as part of a package for Toronto ace Roy Halladay.

Roy Halladay is for sale.

Well, kinda.

As seen on NLEastChatter.com, the Blue Jays are willing to listen to offers for their Cy Young winner. So, what do the Phillies have to do to get Halladay, arguably the best pitcher in the game today?

The Blue Jays would want a lot back in the trade, obviously. In other words, they’ll require at least two stud prospects and probably — from what I’ve been reading and hearing — an established major leaguer.

Believe it or not, the Phillies have the pieces in their system to make this trade possible. They have pitchers (Carlos Carrasco, Kyle Drabek), five-tool talent (Dominic Brown, Michael Taylor) and other intriguing talent (Lou Marson, a catcher, and Jason Donald, an infielder).

I’d be willing to see the Phillies deal ANYof those aforementioned players EXCEPT Drabek, who is on a collision course with the majors as we speak.

If Roy Halladay is available, you do whatever is possible to get him. I’ve always said that the Phillies are NOT playing for the future. They have Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins, all of whom are in their prime and will be at their absolute best for the next 2-4 years. THE TIME IS NOW!

If the Phillies can get two, three world titles during this successful run they’re on, 99 percent of sane Philly fans will accept a rebuilding period in… let’s just say… 5-6 years from now.

However, I think the Phils would have to let go of a cheap big leaguer… (no, Chris Coste or Eric Bruntlett would not suffice)…

Jayson Werth, J.A. Happ and Shane Victorino are all making chump change. Of the three, I’d be most willing to trade Werth. Victorino and Happ, in my opinion, are much more valuable….

Something tells me, though, that Toronto will not move Halladay by the July 31 trade deadline, which is a shame because it’s not like the Blue Jays will win in the AL East anytime soon. Halladay is being wasted in Toronto, through the 2010 season…

The Phillies have called up Rodrigo Lopez from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Antonio Bastardo’s spot in the starting rotation.

Lopez will make his season debut Friday against the New York Mets.

The 33-year-old right-hander was 5-4 with a 3.91 ERA in 13 starts with the Iron Pigs this season.

The journeyman is 65-65 with a 4.80 ERA lifetime in the major leagues. He has pitched for the Rockies, Orioles, Royals and Padres

The Phillies have yet to name a replacement for injured starting pitcher Antonio Bastardo, who was recently placed on the 15-day disabled list.

The team has scoured the trade market to no avail. Thus, it appears the Phillies will make a roster decision within the organization.

For now, J.A. Happ has been moved up a day to fill Bastardo’s schedule spot in the rotation Thursday night in the series finale against the Braves.

However, the Phils will need a fifth starter ASAP. Chances are it will be either Andrew Carpenter, who was up for a cup of coffee last month, or top prospect Carlos Carrasco, both of whom are pitching for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

While the Phils are high on Carpenter’s potential, Carrasco is the sexier pick to fill the void in the rotation. After a sluggish start, the hard-throwing right-hander has excelled in recent outings.

Nevertheless, the Phillies will continue to look for a trade partner leading up to the July 31 trade deadline. And starting pitching remains top priority.