Nov. 8 -- ANATOMY OF A DEAL

For months, even before the July 31 trade deadline, the Phillies were talking to the Astros about making a deal for one of their relievers. Sometimes, they were focused on Dan Wheeler. Other times, they discussed Chad Qualls. But there was one pitcher who really captured their attention.

Brad Lidge.

In 2004 and 2005, Lidge was among baseball's most dominant closers, collecting 71 saves in 79 chances and posting a 2.07 ERA. But he has struggled since allowing a towering homer to Albert Pujols in Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS. In the past two seasons, he's converted 51 of 66 save chances and posted a 4.37 ERA.

The Phils inquired about Lidge in April, when their bullpen was in such disarray that they turned opening-day starter Brett Myers into a reliever. Lidge, who turns 31 next month, had blown a save on opening day, allowed six runs in his first two appearances and fumbled the closer job for a second straight season. But then-Astros GM Tim Purpura insisted on restoring Lidge's confidence, not trading him.

Lidge pitched better and reclaimed his job (he blew eight saves in 27 chances but finished with a respectable 3.36 ERA). But with the Astros on their way to a 73-89 finish, Purpura was fired late in the season. And when Ruben Amaro Jr. interviewed for the Astros' GM job in September, he saw they wanted to rebuild with young players. Former Phillies GM Ed Wade, Amaro's close friend, got the job and showed more of an interest in dealing a reliever. And although the Phillies would've been perfectly content to go into 2008 with Myers as their closer, they concluded that the paper-thin market for starting pitching left them better suited to obtain a reliever and move Myers back into the rotation.

So, Wade and Amaro began discussing the framework for a deal last week, with Qualls being the centerpiece. But, over lunch Wednesday in Orlando at the GM meetings, they worked out the particulars that would send Lidge and utility infielder Eric Bruntlett to the Phils for Houston native Michael Bourn, once-reliable reliever Geoff Geary and strikeout-prone third-base prospect Mike Costanzo.

"Me interviewing in Houston and having a relationship with Ed, there may have been more of a familiarity there," Amaro said by phone late last night. "It probably made things flow more quickly than other deals might. But we had been talking with Houston for several months regarding the back end of their bullpen. Ed and the Astros were looking to get younger, get faster. Michael Bourn was an ideal fit for them with regard to getting a young player who is under their control. With [Shane] Victorino on our club, we had a little bit of a redundancy there. We felt like we had the right piece to move."

There were only two more issues to resolve.

1. After getting burned in the Freddy Garcia trade last year, the Phils wanted to check Lidge's medical condition, especially since he underwent knee surgery last month. But after consulting his doctors, they felt comfortable that he'd be ready for spring training. And Amaro said Phillies pro scout Gordon Lakey, a longtime confidante of GM Pat Gillick who lives near Houston and scouted the Astros all season, reported that Lidge's fastball velocity was up in September, an indication that his arm is healthy.

2. Gillick and Charlie Manuel phoned Myers at his home in Jacksonville, Fla., to make sure he was cool with moving back to the rotation. Myers, a starter throughout his career until April 18, had grown to relish the closer role, even choosing entry music ("Lights Out" by P.O.D.), and took great pride being on the mound for the final out Sept. 30 when the Phils clinched the NL East title. "While I think in some ways he was somewhat reluctant, he’s the ultimate team player," Amaro said. "We’re tying to bring a championship-caliber club to Philadelphia, and he's a big part of that."

Amaro summed up the deal thusly: "We were able to fill two needs, and we did it with one move." And what did they really give up? Bourn hasn't had a chance to prove anything other than he can run and play solid defense. The Phils lost faith in Geary last season. And Costanzo has raw power (27 homers last season at double-A Reading) when he makes contact (157 strikeouts in 508 at-bats).

The move also may give the Phillies some payroll flexibility to re-sign Aaron Rowand, acquire additional pitching and maybe even find some help at third base. Lidge made $5.35 million last season and is eligible for salary arbitration. He can be a free agent after next season, but Amaro said the Phils will hold off on any contract extension until after he pitches for them. Amaro said the Phils will keep looking for pitching -- starters and relievers. Their primary goal is to re-sign lefty J.C. Romero (they continue to maintain exclusive negotating rights for a few more days). If Romero re-signs, the Lidge deal leaves the pitching staff looking like this:

ROTATION: Cole Hamels, Myers, Kyle Kendrick, Jamie Moyer, Adam Eaton
BULLPEN: Lidge, Tom Gordon, Romero and Ryan Madson, with openings for three other relievers (Scott Mathieson may be ready to rejoin the bullpen, and the Phils may still have their eye on a few low-cost free agents).

So, what do y'all think? Are the Phillies better for making this deal?