Phillies acquire Brad Lidge

[Beckett95]

Brad Lidge has been sent from Houston to Philadelphia in a five-player deal according to ESPN News

 

The Phillies sent outfielder Michael Bourn, pitcher Geoff Geary and minor leaguer Mike Costanzo to Houston, and received infielder Eric Bruntlett in addition to Lidge.

[yankeessuck013]

I think this move will pay off for the Phillies. I just think Brad Lidge needed a change of scenery. After Pujols hit that ball off him onto the train tracks in the 2005 NLCS he wasn't the same pitcher. The media in Houston were relentless with him. He'll do well in a new setting I think.

[CrespoBlows]

Point taken, but do you think the media in Philly will be any less relentless?

[riverside sluggers]

The Astros got nothing for Brad Lidge. Geary is a mid 30s reliever, Costanza if he has a career in the majors will just be as a bench player, and Bourn is a weaker version of Willy Taveras

[jacksonianmarch]

I am very surprised this is all it took. If that was the case, hell I would have loved to have taken a flier.

[BoSox21]

NOOOOOOOOOOOO, WE DESPERATELY NEEDED HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

ah, who gives a s***....

[elsrbueno]

NOOOOOOOOOOOO, WE DESPERATELY NEEDED HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

ah, who gives a s***....

 

Ed Wade's career as the Astros GM certainly didn't get off to a good start.

 

Yes, Brad Lidge struggled with the Astros, YES, he lost his closer job, but he still has the stuff and pitching should always come at a premium.

 

Geary came back to earth in 2007, I'd hate Bourn as an everyday player, and Costanzo's got some pop and is still relatively young. However, my problem with both Bourn and Costanzo is that they both strike out twice as often as they walk, which isn't a terribly great sign. Especially for Bourn, who has absolutely no pop in his bat whatsoever.

 

On the Phillies side of it, they take a flier on a reliever with good stuff and move Myers back to the rotation where (IMO) he belongs. He was pretty darn good as a closer but a bit wasted considering he was pretty good as a starter too.

 

Crespo's got a point, Philadelphia's a tough place to play. This guy will be under some pressure and I wouldn't be surprised if he loses his job if he struggles to Tom Gordon (although I don't think he's a viable option either). While I think the mental aspect of closing gets overblown a bit, Lidge may be one of those guys who would be better off in a setup role. He's got the bigtime K numbers and could be leveraged in such a way where he could be brought into key spots in a game when the Phillies really need a big strikeout.

 

I still think Lidge has it in him to be an impact arm out of the bullpen and I'm not confident in any of the players Houston got to be impact players (although Costanza's got the best shot).

 

This trade, at least right now, looks like a big win for the Phillies.

[HeadOfSoxNation]

He's no Gagne...that's for sure.

[elsrbueno]

BP's take on the trade.

 

A complete 180 from my take and what seems to be the consensus on this board....

 

http://baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=665

 

From a business perspective getting 11 cheap seasons from Bourn and Costanzo is certainly valuable, and it's something a lot of casual fans overlook-- and maybe this was the market value of Brad Lidge right now, but I still like the Phillies side of it-- even if Lidge isn't closer material.