Cliff Lee’s gone to the Phillies.  The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner has taken his pitching prowess to another city.

But did the Indians get enough for Lee?  Did they say yes too soon into the process?

Here’s the deal: Philadelphia wanted Toronto’s Roy Halladay, but couldn’t get him because the Blue Jays held firm in their demands that they were going to get some bona-fide prospects in return.  Too often in pro sports, big-time proven players are given up for mediocre prospects who are overhyped.

Well, in my mind, the Indians could’ve AT LEAST gotten one of the so-called Phillie untouchables.  Lee isn’t THAT much removed from Halladay in terms of sheer ability.  Outstanding control, he’s been pitching great… he is a GREAT pitcher.

When I say a Phillie untouchable, I’m talking about getting either J.A. Happ, Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor, or Dominic Brown.  Yes, prospects are all hype, but like all stereotypes, there are reasons why these guys get the hype.  Percentage-wise, they have a higher chance to succeed.

Now I do think the Indians got some good prospects in the trade.  Jason Donald is top notch.  So is Lou Marson.  Carlos Carrasco is pretty advanced for his age.  Apparently, the “prize” of the deal is Jason Knapp.  Let me tell ya, this prize can definitely strike out hitters.  Over 110 strikeouts in just over 85 innings is pretty awesome.  He’s 18 years old.  What’s not so awesome is that Knapp was recently shut down due to shoulder fatigue.  Doesn’t exactly sound like he has a Nolan Ryan arm.  Not that we should compare anybody to Nolan Ryan, but the point is that there’s a red flag, and when it comes to giving up somebody proven like Lee, those red flags need to be eliminated.  If I was Mark Shapiro, I would’ve accepted the fact that Drabek wouldn’t be included in the deal, but ask for Happ.  Get Happ, Carrasco, Marson, and Donald and hold firm to that.  Right now, the Phillies are in a win-win.  They got an ace that they needed, AND they have ALL their top bona-fide prospects.  Cleveland had leverage in this scenario and they flat-out didn’t use it.

Now I’ve learned in the past that it’s hard for me to criticize management considering they know more about their trade than I ever will, and Mark Shapiro did pull off the magical Bartolo Colon trade that netted Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips, and of course, Lee.

That’s the ironic part.  Lee was part of one of the best trades in franchise history.  For Cleveland’s sake, let’s hope this most recent Cliff Lee trade gets a result that is somewhat similar, because right now, it really does look like the Indians could’ve done better.