The Phillies asked Roy Halladay how he felt about the team acquiring Cliff Lee over the weekend before reaching a deal with the free agent.
GM Ruben Amaro gave Halladay a call to make sure he was comfortable with Philadelphia signing a second true ace.
"There's no way, if you really want to win, you're going to be worrying about what they're paying him," Halladay said in a telephone interview. "And that's definitely not my case. I'm thrilled Cliff is here. I would have loved to have played with him last year, but I understood the business of it. I understood we traded all these young players and we were trying to get some back. But once [Amaro] said they had a chance we could get him back again, I was thrilled. It's better for us. He's going to make us a better team.
"Ruben didn't have to call me. That just tells you about the organization. That's why so many players want to come here."
Phillies Asked Halladay For Permisson To Sign Lee