Amaro_roseman
Gangsta.

After three days of relative silence on the free agent front, Howie Roseman pulled a Ruben Amaro on the NFL: He swooped in at the last second and stole the best free agent available, Nnamdi Asomugha, who appeared to only be in the grasps of teams from New York and Texas.

Briefly, momentarily, those of us who gathered around the table of phallicular weights and measurements – if such a table exists – to choose a winner between Roseman and Amaro, had to give the nod to the Eagles’ GM. After all, not since December 14th had we seen such substantial, yet subtle, balls.

Ruben no like.

Just hours later, but without the quiet deception (this week, Amaro operated with the subtlety of an injured deer engulfed in flames), Big Rube laid his down on the table. Gasp. An elongated silence befell the room. We might have a tie, folks.

Here are the details, in case you are unawares:

The Phillies sent Jarred Cosart, Jonathan Singleton, Josh Zeid, and a player to be named later to the Astros. In return, they got Hunter Pence, who will be in Philadelphia tonight, and $2 million in cash, which will help keep them under the luxury tax threshold (thanks, Ed).

It’s a decent trade for both teams: the Astros cut salary and get top prospects, the Phillies become the favorites to win the World Series. But, according to a number of reports, Rube, once again, walked off like Keyser Soze leaving the police station in Usual Suspects. 

Beat writer Randy Miller says Wade could have had Domonic Brown in the trade…. instead, in what was most likely a cost cutting measure, he opted for Josh Zeid, a 10th round draft pick with a 5.65 ERA in Double-A. And, as if the images of Wade with a gag in his mouth aren’t already present, Jayson Stark reports the Astros had originally insisted the Phillies include two more top prospects, in addition to Cosart and Singleton, to complete the deal. That didn’t happen.

Jesus. By the time Pence was taken out of the game in Houston, I’m surprised Rube wasn’t in a full gallop and hopping into Kobayashi’s awaiting luxury sedan while Wade was left in horror, trying to figure out who the hell Redfoot and this rookie from Skokie, Illinois were.

That may seem harsh, but in his four years in Houston, Ed Wade has taken an average, respectable team and turned them into one of the worst in the history of baseball. Trading Pence, a necessary evil, will most likely be the final nail in his coffin.

Conversely, this is the third straight year Rube has delivered on July 29th. In 2009, he traded for Cliff Lee. Last year, Roy Oswalt. And now Pence. Unreal.

Here he is talking about it. Video via the Delco Times. Quite frankly, I'm surprised he isn't partially nude and surrounded by three coeds here:

 

Doc liked the move, as well. He had earlier campaigned for the Phillies to make a move and even spoke with Pence at the All-Star Game, the place where Phillies hang out: [CSN Philly]

“I believe he did ask me how I liked it,” said Halladay. “Of course for me it’s been everything I thought it would be, so I think he’s going to be excited to come here and play. 

We talked about some of the players we have, the Chase Utleys, the guys he tried to model himself [after]. Some of the stuff we talked about, I think he will be a great fit here.

I told him how much I enjoyed it here. But at that point, it didn’t even come up that he would have a chance to come here. We were kind of talking in passing. I'm glad it worked out.

I didn’t even think about it at the time as a sales pitch. But I think I did a pretty good job if it was.”

 

Here’s more from Doc:

The Phillies will only have to pay Pence $2.3 million for the rest of the season. That’s 1/3 of his $6.9 million contract. He will be under the Phillies’ control for the next two seasons, though he will be arbitration eligible in both of them.

There are a number of reports that Placido Polanco will be joining Pence in Philly tonight, which means Brown could be sent to AAA to continue his development. That’s probably the best move for everybody right now. If he sits on the bench for the next two months, he will – yet again – be useless come October.

Turning attention to the Eagles… Peter King reports that Asomugha just wanted to be here and took less money to do so: [SI.com]

And one league source just told me something that surprised me. “Nnamdi wanted to play in Philadelphia,” the source said. More than New York, where Rex Ryan was planning to make Asomugha and Revis his defensive centerpieces? Yes, the source said.

The contract is stunning — just $12 million a year for a player who made $28 million over the last two years and was the hottest player on the free agent market. So the source appears to be spot on: Clearly Asomugha would have been offered more by at least one other team. The $12 million annual figure is what the Panthers paid defensive end Charles Johnson this week. Clearly there was something enticing about this Eagles bid, possibly the ability to go to a team with the chance to win the Super Bowl from the NFC.

 

He pulled a Cliff Lee. That's a Cliff Lee right there!

But wait, there’s more!

According to ESPN New York and others, Plaxico Burress still has his sights set on the Eagles and may meet with the team. This line from the story is just great:

The general manager also said he would not let the Eagles' signing of the top free agent on the market, Asomugha, dictate his decision-making with Burress. The Giants can certainly use another weapon like Burress to combat the Eagles, who have beaten the Giants six straight times, including their 2008 postseason encounter and last season's devastating come-from-behind 38-31 win at the Meadowlands.

 

That was just days after the Phillies signed Lee.

Their tactics may have been different, but both Howie Roseman and Ruben Amaro – the Phillies and the Eagles – went all in, bringing us another Christmas… this time in July.

Welcome to Pencelvania, folks.

H/T to Jimmy for the Photoshop