The deal is done. Seriously. It's over. You can go home now.

Just got word that the four-team, baseball bonanza blockbuster that sends one Cy Young winner to Philadelphia (Roy Halladay, in case you hadn't heard) and another to Seattle (Cliff Lee) with prospects heading to Toronto and Oakland.

It took about 48 hours since all teams agreed on the structure of the deal, but, as they say, good things come to those who wait. Phils fans, you have the best pitcher in baseball on your team - and not just for 2010, but for at least the next four years.

Trade winner? The Phillies.

They're introducing their new ace at 5 p.m. today at Citizens Bank Park.

He'll likely make his debut on opening day, Monday April 5, at Washington. And, if you're looking for that last-minute Christmas gift, or are returning Cliff Lee gear, here's a tip: Halladay will wear No.34.

(hey, you can just change the name on the jersey from Lee to Halladay. how convenient.)

Have you ever been on a stakeout?

No, not the police-kind. And if you've actually done that, I'd like your input. Looks like a lot of eating cheeseburgers and carbonated beverages while sitting in a 30-year-old, beat-up car.

The baseball stakeouts are about as exciting.

It was nearly two years ago (22 months, to be exact) that a bunch of us baseball writer-types were huddled down at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club in St. Petersburg, awaiting word on Ryan Howard's arbitration case.

"Resort and Golf Club?" Sounds fancy, right? Well, we got kicked out of the lobby (unless we went in to buy a $5 pack of gum or $9 beer). So we were stuck outside the lobby, in these fancy but not-so-comfortable wicker-ish seats.

Internet access was spotty. I was writing on my iPhone. (iPhone owners realize this isn't exactly ideal for typing more than a couple words).

Anyway, it was a magnificent way to spend a day. From about 9 am until 6 or 7 p.m., a bunch of us, staring at each other, and waiting for some rich dudes in suits to exit.

They finally did. We got some quotes.

But the waiting, as Tom Petty once said, is the hardest part.

Which brings us to present day, Day 3 of Halladay Watch. The mood is tense; I have been on some serious, serious reports but nothing quite like this. I uh... Ching... King is inside right now. I tried to get an interview with him, but they said no, you can't do that he's a live bear, he will literally rip your face off.

Guess the movie line above and win a prize.

Here's apparently why we're all still waiting: someone has failed to pass their physical.

Relax: it's not Halladay. A Phils' team source told me the big guy passed his exam already.

According to some reports out on the world wide web, it's one of four guys: Brett Wallace, the first baseman moving from OAK to TOR, or one of the three minor leaguers leaving the Phils' organization (Drabek, Taylor, D'Arnaud).

Taylor did have a minor ailment this fall, so it might be that.

But here's the good news; according to sources, this isn't anything that's going to hold up the trade.

Wait, more news as we type: the "failed physical" reports may in fact be false. Don't you love when it takes over 48 hours to complete a trade? It causes people to start making stuff up. Sweet.

Now I'm hearing this could be done by dinner time, or if you're a late eater, rush hour time.

That would translate as between 4-7 p.m. We think.

Until then, more waiting....

Less than 24 hours after the rumor mill circulated that the Phils were involved ina three-team trade that would net them coveted Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, first reported by SI.com, the team and their new ace have apparently got one, potentially deal-breaking hurdle out of the way.

According to ESPN.com, the Phils and Halladay have come to terms on a contract extension that will pay Halladay upward of $20 million (or more) per season and keep the 32-year-old, former Cy Young winner in Philadelphia through at least 2013.

Now what?

All the teams involved have to agree on the prospects being exchanged. According to numerous reports, this appears to be a done deal as well: the Phils are reportedly sending top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, five-tool outfielder Michael Taylor and top catching prospect Travis D'Arnaud to Toronto and, in exchange for Cliff Lee, Seattle is shipping Phillippe Aumont, the M's top prospect, along with pitcher Juan Ramirez and outfielder Tyson Gillies to South Philly.

CSNPhilly.com also reported the Jays are sending $6 million to the Phils in the deal, presumably to help pay off the $15.75 million remaining in Halladay's current contract (which was on tap to expire following 2010).

But it appears Halladay's contract won't expire; instead it's been renewed by the Phillies at an affordable figure (if you compare it to what fellow Cy Young Award winners CC Sabathia, Johan Santana and Barry Zito have got on the open market).

With a lot of moving bodies, physicals, medical reports and dollars moving 'round, there's a chance this thing still won't go official until Wednesday. Phillies officials - including GM Ruben Amaro - have not commented or returned phone calls to confirm or deny any of the many swirling stories regarding the blockbuster trades.

Roy Halladay is in Philadelphia.

He is taking a physical, according to the AP.

But he's also likely talking to the Phils brass about a contract extension.

When both of those tasks are finished - a clean bill of health and a shiny, new long-term contract - it appears Roy Halladay will finally put on the red pinstripes at a press conference at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies are not commenting Monday on anything Halladay-related. But the fact that the pitcher is in town is really all you need to know.

When the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed, it appears Cliff Lee will be sent to Seattle and a group of top-flight prospects are headed to the Toronto Blue Jays in a holiday blockbuster, three-team trade.

According to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark, the Phils and Halladay could agree to a three-year deal in the neighborhood of $60 million (keeping him locked in until at least 2013). (According to Stark, the deal could also include possible vesting options that could extend the union another year or two.)

While Johan Santana (six years, $137.5 million), CC Sabathia (7-161) and Barry Zito (7-126) have raised the price on Cy Young award-winning pitchers in recent offseasons, Halladay appears in line to give the Phillies a bit of a "hometown" discount. He's expressed a desire to play for the Phillies, who spend two months for spring training in Clearwater, Fla., minutes away from the Jays' spring site of Dunedin and a short drive from Halladay's offseason home.

Why trade Cliff Lee? Like Halladay, Lee was due to be a free agent after the 2010 season. But unlike Halladay, Lee was almost certainly going to test the free agent market and less open to agreeing to a long-term deal before filing for free agency. (Lee saw former teammate CC Sabathia strike rich just last winter on the open market).

Phillies fans dreaming of having a rotation with Halladay and Lee should realize this: if the Phils traded for Halladay without dealing Lee, they likely would have had to deal J.A. Happ to Toronto and Joe Blanton elsewhere (to clear salary space) and, thus, would have a very talented, but top-heavy rotation.

The tradeoff of the current, proposed deal is this: rather than get Cliff Lee for one more year, you have control over Halladay and Happ (not to mention keeping top prospect Kyle Drabek, too) for the foreseeable future. So instead of going for broke with Halladay-Lee-Hamels in 2010, the Phils are setting themselves up to have a talented, deep rotation for the next four years, if not longer.

Apparently all the talk has been backed up with action.

Halladay season?

According to multiple reports and sightings on the street, Roy Halladay is in Philadelphia. He's not a Phillie, however.

At least not yet.

But his presence in Philly means a couple of things: trade talks have heated up enough that Halladay could be taking a physical and/or negotiating a long-term deal (he's a free agent after 2010), and thus, the Phils six-month long pursuit of the Toronto pitcher may be nearing a positive end.

Rumors swirled late last week that the Phils could use Cliff Lee in a three-way deal to get Halladay (Halladay has expressed interest in playing in Philly and would presumably be easier to sign long term than Lee, who is also a FA after '10).

But that's all rumor talk for now. The only concrete info is Roy Halladay is in Philadelphia, and my guess is he's not in town for a Sixers game.

Between debating who would play third in 2010 (Polanco), to giving the bench a facelift, to working his tail off to find a way to another ace (you may have heard Roy Halladay's name a few times already, right?), Ruben Amaro Jr. hasn't had much of an "offseason."

While most baseball types enjoy a break in November and December, general managers have one issue after another to tackle between Halloween and New Year's Day. Amaro faced one of those issues Saturday, with a midnight deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players (the Phillies had five).

Amaro tendered contracts to reliever Chad Durbin, catcher Carlos Ruiz, starter Joe Blanton and outfielder Shane Victorino; barring any contract extension talks, all four are essentially signed to one-year deals for the 2010 season.

The Phillies did not, however, tender a contract to reliever Clay Condrey. Thus, the 34-year-old righthander has become a free agent.

Condrey went 6-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 2009, but was pestered with an oblique injury that sent him to the disabled list twice and limited him to 45 games.

Condrey went 16-8 with a 3.65 ERA in four seasons with the Phillies. In six major league seasons, he is 18-12 with a 4.10 ERA.

The Phillies still have the option to re-sign Condrey, but they may be looking to upgrade. Just as Condrey became a free agent at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, some other notable players hit the open market, too.

Among them, right-hander Mike McDougal. The 32-year-old MacDougal was non-tendered by Washington after excelling as the Nats' closer in 2009.

MacDougal converted 20 of 21 save chances. He was 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA.

Another intriguing name: Matt Capps. Like the Nationals, the Pirates set their closer free at midnight.

Capps struggled some in 2009, but racked up 66 saves in the last three seasons as Pittsburgh's closer.

The Phillies have been in pursuit of late-inning relief help this winter, and both MacDougal and Capps could fit the bill.

I'm not in Indy for the Winter Meetings, but I've tried to follow what I can from back home - via the world wide web, MLB Network, etc. Shortly after the clocks turned to Wednesday here in Philly, I saw various reports that the Phils have signed Ross Gload to a two-year deal to complete their bench.

I believe MLB.com or Comcast was first with the news. The Phillies have not confirmed the signing and, quite honestly, I'm not calling Ruben Amaro Jr. after midnight about Ross Gload.

It's Ross Gload, after all.

I digress. Gload (No.7 in that pic) is actually a pretty good bench player. He hit .261 with six home runs and 30 RBIs in 230 at-bats last season for the Marlins. He's a .283 career hitter in eight major-league seasons with five teams.

Gload is a outfielder/first baseman. He's played the majority of his time at first base in recent years, but for some reason I don't see him manning first too much in Philly (if you forgot, the Phils have a perennial MVP candidate who plays there).

In addition to where he plays with the glove, Gload is left-handed, meaning, as it stands now, he and Greg Dobbs are the left-handed bench guys and Ben Francisco and Juan Castro are the right-handers. Brian Schneider, of course, is the backup catcher.

So here's how the bench has changed since the season ended:

Schneider replaced Paul Bako, Castro replaced Eric Bruntlett and now it appears (once the team confirms it) that Gload will replace Matt Stairs.

What do you think? All upgrades?

It's homecoming week in Philadelphia.

First, Allen Iverson strolled back into the Wachovia Center.

Now likable former Phillies infielder Placido Polanco is also back in the South Philly Sports Complex.

The Phils announced they came to terms on a three-year, $18 million deal Thursday afternoon. The contract includes a mutual option for a fourth year.

"“We’re very happy to have Placido back in a Phillies uniform. He’s a professional hitter who will enhance our lineup," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "As a Gold Glove infielder, we’re very confident that he will make a smooth transition back to third base. Polly also gives us some added versatility at second base if and when Chase needs a rest.”

The Phillies acquired Polanco in the July 2002 trade that sent Scott Rolen to St. Louis. But he was traded three summers later to Detroit in a trade that netted the team reliever Ugueth Urbina and infielder Ramon Martinez.

In 297 games with the Phillies, Polanco hit .297 with 38 home runs, 160 RBI and 23 stolen bases.

Polanco's numbers haven't declined since he was traded away. He's hit over .300 in three of the last five seasons and never saw his batting average sink lower than .285 at the end of any of those seasons. He was elected as the starting second baseman for the American League All-Star team in 2007.
Polanco will replace Pedro Feliz as the Phillies every day third baseman. Although he hasn't played third base regularly since his time in Philly, his addition is an upgrade to a lineup arguably among the best in baseball. A career .303 hitter, Polanco is every manager's dream for the No.2-hole hitter: he's smart, makes consistent contact and can hit the ball to the opposite field.

A projected Opening Day lineup:

1. Jimmy Rollins, SS
2. Placido Polanco, 3B
3. Chase Utley, 2B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Jayson Werth, RF
6. Raul Ibanez, LF
7. Shane Victorino, CF
8. Carlos Ruiz, C
9. Cliff Lee, P

The new lineup provides more balance, with Victorino, a switch hitter with speed, sliding down to the seventh spot.

The Phillies moved one step closer to filling out their bench for the 2010 season.

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. announced Tuesday the team came to an agreement on a two-year deal with veteran free agent Brian Schneider.

“We feel Brian is ideal for our ballclub,” said Amaro. “He has played in the NL East for this entire decade, so he knows the opposing hitters in this division well and he has also proven he can handle the bat. He’s a guy that we would feel comfortable with playing for an extended period of time, if needed.”

The 33-year-old Schneider hit .218 with three home runs and 18 RBI in 59 games last season for the Mets.

In the last six seasons, Schneider was the Opening Day catcher for the Mets (2008-09) and the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals (2004-07). Since making his major league debut in 2000, Schneider has thrown out 183 baserunners -- the most for any National League catcher.

Schneider would replace Paul Bako as the backup catcher to starter Carlos Ruiz. A week ago, the Phils came to a handshake agreement with utility infielder Juan Castro.

With a little over two months til spring training, the Phils have four-fifths of their bench complete with Schneider, Castro and returning reserves Greg Dobbs and Ben Francisco.