Charles Dickens wasn't referring to Pennsylvania's two big-league baseball teams when he wrote his famous opening to A Tale of Two Cities, but the words seem to fit.

These are the best of times for Philadelphia baseball.

The Phillies are defending World Series champions. They routinely play in front of sellout crowds - 47 entering last night - and are one of three clubs (joining the Dodgers and Yankees) to average more than 44,000 a game. They are in first place in the National League East and have their compass pointed at a third straight postseason berth. They have elite talent all over the diamond and added to it with pitcher Cliff Lee, arguably the best acquisition made by any team during the July trading season.

These are the worst of times in Pittsburgh.

The Pirates are in last place in the NL Central and are closing in on their 17th straight losing season, which will be a major-league record. They entered Friday with the second-lowest average attendance in the NL - 18,888. And while their Keystone cousins were making a big splash adding Lee at the non-waiver trade deadline, the Pirates were dumping some of their best and most recognizable players.

After a long, steady decline, it seems as if the Pirates might finally have hit rock bottom.

As difficult as it may have been for some Pirates fans to see Nate McLouth, Adam LaRoche, Jack Wilson, and Freddy Sanchez (and Jason Bay before them) peddled out of town, this bottoming out might actually turn into a positive development.

After too many years of patching rosters and hoping for success, the Pirates needed to blow up their core and start over.

They were losing 90-plus games a season with McLouth, LaRoche, Wilson and Sanchez; they could certainly do that without them. As second-year general manager Neal Huntington said, "It's not like we're breaking up the '27 Yankees."

Huntington has the backing of Frank Coonelly, who took over as club president late in the 2007 season. Coonelly previously served as a top lawyer in the commissioner's office. He graduated from William Tennent High School in Bucks County and is a former Phillies season-ticket holder.

Like the Phillies, the Pirates have a beautiful stadium, partially financed by taxpayer dollars. Coonelly would someday like to see PNC Park filled regularly, like Citizens Bank Park, and he hopes the stripping down of the 2009 Pirates becomes the first step toward that.

The dismantling of the Pirates actually began last year when Bay was dealt to Boston. It continued this year with McLouth going to Atlanta, LaRoche to Boston (and then Atlanta), Wilson to Seattle, and Sanchez to San Francisco. Only three players from the Pirates' opening-day lineup remain with the franchise.

The trades left the Pirates younger (they have just one player over 28) at the big-league level, deeper in the minors, and, of course, less costly. Seven of their nine starters Thursday night were making $425,000 or less this season.

The Pirates projected to spend about $55 million in salaries this season, third from the bottom in the majors. The trades saved them $7 million this year and possibly more next year. Sanchez and Wilson had contract options totaling $16 million.

If the Pirates pocket that savings, shame on them. If they sink it into the draft, international scouting and maybe the right free-agent signing, then good for them. However, the right free-agent signing still might be a few years away. Championship teams are built from within. Free-agent signings are a luxury best reserved to help a ripening team get over the top.

The Pirates are far from ripe, but some good things are happening.

Highly touted Andrew McCutchen, 22, took over in center field after McLouth was traded. He hit .296 with seven homers, 32 RBIs and nine stolen bases in his first 55 games.

Top prospect Pedro Alvarez, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 draft, is moving swiftly up the minor-league ladder. The 22-year-old third baseman hit .308 with eight homers and 23 RBIs in his first 37 games at double A.

McCutchen and Alvarez might help the Pirates reverse a trend of No. 1 picks from the late 1990s and early 2000s that did not pan out.

The Pirates picked up promising talent for Sanchez and Wilson. For Sanchez, they got 20-year-old righthander Tim Alderson, who was the Giants' top pick in 2007. Two years out of high school, Alderson was 7-1 with a 3.33 ERA in his first 14 starts at double A. For Wilson, the Pirates got switch-hitter Jeff Clement, who was the third overall pick in the 2005 draft. Clement has strong hitting credentials and some pop. He had a tough time making it in Seattle but might benefit from a change of scenery. He could be the Pirates' starting first baseman before long.

Three members of the Pirates' starting rotation – Ross Ohlendorf, Charlie Morton, and Kevin Hart - came in trades over the last year. The Pirates still have high hopes for righthander Brad Lincoln, their No. 1 pick from 2006. He's at triple A after missing the 2007 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

The Pirates equaled the record for consecutive losing seasons - the Phillies had 16 straight from 1933 to 1948 - last year and will soon set a new mark.

But the dubious record could actually signal a new beginning for the franchise. Amid all the rubble, in these worst of times, the Pirates finally seem to have a plan.

What was that guy's name? Philadelphia has fallen in love with Cliff Lee, who dominated the Giants and Rockies in his first two starts with the Phillies. Lee has been so good that Phillies fans, once obsessed with getting Roy Halladay, have forgotten about the Toronto ace.

Halladay showed a lot of respect toward the Jays organization and the city of Toronto in the weeks of rumor and speculation leading up to his non-trade. But you can be sure of this: He wanted to be a Phillie. Teammates knew it. The Jays' front office knew it. That's why the Jays spent so much time trying to strike a deal with the Phillies.

If the disappointment of not joining a pennant race wasn't enough to get Halladay down, he has been saddled with losses in his last two starts, both after learning that the Phillies solved their need for a starter with Lee. Halladay has allowed 21 hits and seven earned runs in his last two starts (16 innings), losses to Seattle and the New York Yankees.

He will look to rebound against the Baltimore Orioles today.

End of the line? Speaking of Halladay, the Boston Red Sox may be wishing they made more of a push to get the righthander.

The Sox pursued Halladay but chose to spend their chips on switch-hitting catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez instead. Adding a bat wasn't a bad idea for Boston. David Ortiz was having a difficult season even before it was reported that he had tested positive for a performing enhancing substance in 2003, and he carried an 0-for-16 slump into Friday night's game against the Yankees.

Boston has two prime arms in Josh Beckett and Jon Lester atop its rotation, but there's a drop-off after that. Tim Wakefield, the 43-year-old knuckleballer, and Daisuke Matsuzaka are on the disabled list.

The Sox had hoped that John Smoltz would give them a lift in the second half, but that hasn't worked out. The 42-year-old righthander, trying to come back from shoulder surgery, was designated for assignment Friday, one day after being hammered for eight runs in 31/3 innings by the Yankees. The beating left Smoltz with a 8.32 ERA after eight starts. After coming out of the game, he sat in the dugout at Yankee Stadium with a look of confusion, anguish and uncertainty on his face. There's a pretty good chance he has thrown the last pitch of his great career.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox move on, looking more and more like a team that could use Halladay as they try to catch the Yankees in the AL East standings and hold off Texas and Tampa Bay in the wild-card race.

Wonder if they'd have any interest in trading for Pedro Martinez?

Contact staff writer Jim Salisbury at 215-854-4983 or jsalisbury@phillynews.com.