Posted by Brian Joseph on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 at 10:30 am

Thanks to J.P. Ricciardi this trade deadline just got interesting. According to the Blue Jays GM, the best pitcher in baseball over the past eight years is open for discussion and he’s even open to waiving his no-trade clause to make a deal happen.

That pitcher is, of course, Roy Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays. The deal would have to be huge and loaded with prospects and few teams have the names or money to make such a deal.

One of those teams on the short list of possible destinations is the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies. Despite being two games up in the National League East, there’s just something not right about this year’s version of the Phillies. Maybe it’s their sub-standard rotation, their imperfect closer or their inability to win consistently at home but the 2009 Phillies just seem ripe for the picking.

Compound that with how difficult it is to repeat as World Series Champions if you are not named the Yankees — Toronto Blue Jays in ‘93, Oakland Athletics in ‘73 and ‘74, New York Giants in ‘22, Boston Red Sox in ‘16 and Chicago Cubs in 1908 — and the Phillies have their work cut out for them if they want to defend their title.

Doing so takes bold moves. Consider the ‘93 Blue Jays. After winning the World Series in ‘92, the Jays signed future Hall of Famer Paul Molitor and former All-Star Dave Stewart before the season and traded for Tony Fernandez and future Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson during the season. The concoction of existing talent, free agents and trade additions induced a second consecutive title for the Jays.

Halfway through 2009, the Phillies are in a great spot to defend their World Series title despite the loss of their number two starter for the season and the disappearance of Brad Lidge who could improve by resembling the closer the Astros lost confidence in back in 2006 and 2007.

Factor that the Phillies own a starting rotation with an ERA of 5.02, good for 27th in the Majors, and a fifth starter who was once considered expendable in Baltimore, a move for Halladay would be about as bold as they come.

What would it take? According to some, a deal similar to the one that landed the Braves Mark Teixeira from Texas a few years ago might do the trick. In the Phillies case, that likely means parting with either Carlos Carrasco or Kyle Drabek, Jason Donald, Jason Knapp and another deeper prospect in the organization with the Phillies getting Halladay and possibly a right-handed bat as a throw-in (similar to the Ron Mahay toss-in in the Braves-Rangers deal) in return.

Is that too much? It depends on your perspective, really. In this writer’s opinion, absolutely not. While Halladay’s salary is hefty, the prospect of two years of an instant Cy Young candidate that catapults your top two starters to the head of the class of the league insures that not only are the Phillies a serious contender to defend their title in 2009, it also puts them in the mix for 2010.

Sure, the loss of three prospects as coveted as the ones they would need to move to get a deal done can be dangerous. But we’re not talking Ryne Sandberg for Ivan DeJesus here. This is Roy Halladay for two years. All 141-68, 3.47 ERA of ‘em.

A move like this aligns the stars for the Phillies. It gives them two aces and takes the heat off of Cole Hamels who will never be that ace who steps in on short rest and risks injury to try to catapult his team to victory. It makes Joe Blanton the third starter in the rotation and moves impressive youngster J.A. Happ and AARP member Jamie Moyer to the back-end of the rotation where they belong. Oh, and it gives the Phillies a second twenty-game winner threat accompanied by one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball for two years… at least.

Halladay’s contract shouldn’t be a concern. He’ll cost $7 million for the rest of this year and $15.75 million in 2010 which would easily be recouped by a second World Series run, not to mention the removal of the salaries of Brett Myers ($12.08 million), Adam Eaton ($8.8 million) and Geoff Jenkins ($6.75 million) off the books next year.

It just makes sense… for the Phillies, at least. The future is now for this club and while J.P. Ricciardi says he has to at least listen, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. needs to make sure Ricciardi hears them. Similar rumors hit the mill last year with A.J. Burnett so it’s probably unlikely that Ricciardi unloads his super-talented ace but if I’m in contention, I’m making sure that I’m banging every pot and pan and rattling every window to get the Blue Jays GM’s attention.

Is it a big price to pay for the Phillies? Absolutely. Can a “Plan B” acquisition similar to Joe Blanton (see Martinez, Pedro) work instead? Maybe.

But with three teams hot on the heels of the Phillies in the East and all three having rosters capable of going on a game-changing hot streak, as the defending champs, the Phillies need to make a bold move. Adding just any former Cy Young to the mix might be bold but adding the one that has been the best in the game over the last few years would be the boldest statement a team can make.

A good poker player knows that being aggressive gives you two shots to win: Your hand may be the best or your opponent might fold. While slow playing has its merits, there’s a danger in waiting too long and letting your opponent catch up. In the case of the Phillies, they slow played their prospects a few years back when they held on to Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels because they just weren’t close enough. Now, it might be time to declare “all-in” and make a serious play for Halladay.

“Doc” could write the prescription to cash in on back-to-back World Series titles for a city that had just one before 2008. Anything else and the possibility of a repeat this season is slim.