NEW YORK — On a day like no other in baseball history, two Cy Young Award winners in their primes changed teams.
The four-club, nine-player megatrade became official Wednesday, with the Blue Jays sending 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay to the Phillies, who in turn dealt 2008 AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee to the Mariners.
Halladay got a $60 million, three-year contract extension through 2013 in exchange for waiving his no-trade clause, and Toronto paid Philadelphia $6 million as part of the swap. Seven prospects changed hands, with Oakland also part of the mix.
“This is where we wanted to be,” Halladay said at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. “It was an easy decision for me. Once the opportunity came up for me to be part of this, it was something I couldn’t pass up.”
Two Cy Young winners had never been traded on the same day. And that wasn’t the only big deal.
Boston finalized an $82.5 million, five-year contract for pitcher John Lackey and a $15.5 million, two-year agreement with outfielder Mike Cameron. The Red Sox also must figure out whether the Mike Lowell-to-Texas trade will go through and have been discussing whether to acquire Adrian Gonzalez from San Diego, a deal that could send Clay Buchholz and/or Jacoby Ellsbury to the Padres.
World Series MVP Hideki Matsui finalized a $6 million, one-year contract with the Angels, ending his seven-season run with the Yankees. Matsui will replace free- agent slugger Vladimir Guerrero as Los Angeles’ primary designated hitter.
Also on Wednesday:
• The Orioles landed a proven left-hander, reaching a preliminary agreement on a $12 million, two-year contract with reliever Mike Gonzalez.
• The Brewers completed a $7.5 million, two-year contract with reliever LaTroy Hawkins.
• The Tigers agreed to a $2.5 million, two-year deal with infielder Ramon Santiago, who had been eligible for salary arbitration.
• Utility player Jamey Carroll, a member of the Rockies’ 2007 World Series team, agreed in principle to a two- year deal with the Dodgers.
