Philadelphia Phillies: The rich getting richer?

Are the rich – the Philadelphia Phillies – getting richer, or what?

Don’t forget that these guys are already the defending World Series champions. And don’t forget that they already have World Series MVP Cole Hamels at the top of their pitching rotation.

Now that they didn't get Roy Halladay from Toronto, they have traded for 2008 American League Cy Young winner Cliff Lee of the Cleveland Indians. (And this, without giving up top young pitching prospects A.J. Happ or Kyle Drabek.)

Can you imagine Hamels and Lee, both left-handers, at the top of your rotation? Wow! Add lefties Jamie Moyer and Happ to this rotation and you truly have a top starting four for the playoffs.

And that’s not to mention Pedro Martinez pitching in the minor leagues for the Phils. If he turns out to be half the Pedro he used to be, what an exclamation point that would be.

Then there’s the Phillies lineup that leads off with Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Jason Werth. Nobody other than the Los Angeles Dodgers comes close to have a better top-six batters in the NL.

Already, the Phillies have a major-league best record of 19-5 in July. And that’s without the pitching help that is on the way.

Now that Lee has wound up in Philadelphia, that could seal the deal on a second straight World Series title.

Roy Halladay could take many teams to World Series

If the Los Angeles Dodgers can trade for Roy Halladay, go ahead and pencil them in for the World Series.

It’s pretty much ditto for the Philadelphia Phillies, Anaheim Angels, Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees.

If you had one game to win in MLB and could pick any pitcher, Halladay would be the guy to take.

But to get Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays before the trading deadline of July 31, any team will have to give plenty to get him.

Would the Dodgers give up 21-year-old pitcher Clayton Kershaw, already called by some the next Sandy Koufax?

Would the Phillies trade young pitching phenom Kyle Drabek, among others?

Do the injury-plagued Angels have enough of a package to offer?

How about the Red Sox trading top young pitching prospect Clay Buchholz?

What kind of a package could the Yankees put together?

It would be surprising to see Toronto trade Halladay within the AL East to New York or Boston. In fact, Red Sox Manager Terry Francona would just as soon see Halladay in the National League … unless he goes to Boston.

Consider Francona’s comments after Halladay pitched a complete-game six-hitter to defeat the Red Sox on Sunday, 3-1.

“I stand by what I said the other day,” Francona joked. “They should have traded him the other day, and to a National League team.”

The Dodgers or Phillies would certainly be OK by that.