The Phils made a trade with Ed Wade in his new role as GM of the Astros,  obtaining closer Brad Lidge and infielder Eric Bruntlett for Geoff Geary, Michael Bourne and minor league 3rd baseman Mike Costanzo .

The move puts Lidge in the back of the bullpen and Brett Myers back in the rotation.

 Myers liked his spot in the pen.

“Pat asked me how I felt about it, and I said I’d do whatever was best for the team,” Myers told the Inquirer. “It’s a little disappointing because I felt closing was good for me. But the team has other needs, and I can do both. I’m not surprised. You could read between the lines.”

Lets hope that we get a Brad Lidge pitching like he did in 2004 and 2005 and not the more recent version. He had 19 saves last season and 8 blown save opportunities.  He is a guy with undeniable stuff, but very mixed results this past year. He was removed from his closing role for a portion of the season.  I hope he rebounds and performs well, but in true Phillies fashion, we have acquired someone with a lot of questions.  He even had a surgery on his knee after the season.

I will not miss Geary and Bourne is OK but is not a starter.  I think Wade really wanted Costanzo.  He is a guy with a lot of potential but also many weaknesses in his game too.  Wade’s team drafted him for the Phillies.  He is below average defensively. He has power and hits for average, but has a tough time with lefties and has holes in his swing.  One piece I read compared him to current Phillie Russell Branyon.  I wonder how long Wade lasts in Houston.

Lidge said this about the trade:

“I guess it’ll be like when we were in the middle of the postseason, with all of the media and attention we get,” Lidge said. “That kind of adrenaline and excitement will hopefully be beneficial to me. When you have a lot of adrenaline in situations, it might push you and you’ll excel. I’m optimistic about it.”

I always wonder about a guy whose includes in his opening comments stuff about the media attention in Philadelphia.