Now with Cliff Lee off the trade market, there's more pressure on the Boston Red Sox to acquire Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay.
Jayson Stark from ESPN reported that Cleveland is sending Lee to the Philadelphia Phillies (pending a physical) in exchange for Triple-A right-hander Carlos Carrasco, Class A RHP Jason Knapp, catcher Lou Marson, and shortstop Jason Donald.
With the Phillies out of the mix, the Red Sox clearly appear to be the front runners in making a deal happen, this after saying they'd part with Clay Buchholz.
But what will happen if nothing gets done?  Suppose no one gets Halladay and he stays with the Jays?
Boston needs to make a big trade happen before the deadline.  However, they should not empty out their farm system.
It's either Halladay or bust at this point.
The Phillies are one step closer to being the National League Champions and also have a great shot at defending their World Series crown.
There are too many question marks in the Sox starting rotation (John Smoltz, Tim Wakefield, Brad Penny, Daisuke Matsuzaka), but with the acquisition of Halladay, the Red Sox will be one step closer to becoming the American League Champions.
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