The deal is done, the press conference complete, and superstar right-handed pitcher Roy Halladay is officially a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.
The price, as has been discussed and will likely be debated for generations, was substantial -- Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor, and Travis D'Arnaud plus, let's be honest here, the prerequisite dumping of Cliff Lee -- but Ruben Amaro, Jr. got his man.
Excised from all the baggage associated with the seemingly endless courtship and acquisition, the Phillies did manage to get one of the best, most durable pitchers in baseball, with a pronounced ability to induce groundballs, who wants to be in Philadelphia and, perhaps most importantly, the willingness to negotiate a below-market contract extension. Think they could have gotten Halladay for 3 years/$60MM with the Yankees and Red Sox in a bidding war?
So, congratulations Phillies and Roy Halladay. I sincerely hope that any lingering bitterness about some of the more peculiar aspects of this particular series of transactions don't translate into disdain from the fanbase for Mr. Halladay himself. He's one of the best.