It's OK to Corral "Doc" Halladay
Written by B-Dub, Tuesday July 07 2009
Toronto Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi says he's willing to listen to offers for pitcher Roy Halladay. I need to sit down now. I feel faint.
I wrote yesterday that I thought the Philadelphia Phillies should just stick with their current pitchers unless they could get someone like Roy Halladay. Well now he's available and I say the Phillies need to give up whatever it takes to get him. I don't care what prospects the Phillies have to give up either. If the Phillies get Halladay they are guaranteed to win their second consecutive World Series.
A one-two punch of Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels, backed by the Phillies killer lineup, would be unbeatable. The good news is that there are reports that the Phillies have been inquiring about the availability of Halladay for the last two years. Good, now get it done.
"I don't think anything has changed, I just think, You know what, why not listen? The worst we can say is no," Ricciardi told The Canadian Press on Tuesday. "If someone wants Roy and they're willing to blow us away, we'd be willing to listen, that's all I'm saying. That doesn't mean we'd trade him, that doesn't mean we're looking to trade him. All it means is we'd be willing to listen." No J.P., all that does mean that you'd trade him. You know your team can't compete with the Yankees or Red Sox in the AL East this year. Hell, you know you probably can't even compete with the Rays for third place, so why not trade Halladay for a bonanza of prospects. He'll get them more in a trade this year then next year, when he'll be in the last year of his contract.
And you know what, Halladay is worth it. Say what you want about Zack Greinke, Tim Lincecum or Josh Beckett, but I'll take Halladay over any of those guys. Halladay has a career record of 141-68 with a 3.47 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. He won the 2003 AL Cy Young Award and finished second to Cliff Lee last season. The man is a total stud. He is a difference-maker. And I want him in Phillies pinstripes.
There are sure to be many suitors for Halladay, but I'm here to tell you that the Phillies have the best chance to land him. I'm not going to pretend to know all the prospects each team has in their minor league system, but I will give you my humble opinion anyway. Forget about any of the teams in the AL East. The Jays simply will not trade him within the division. The LA Angels are getting arms back from injury already, so they don't need him. The Twins never give up their young talent. The Rangers only get bad starting pitchers. The Dodgers and Giants don't really need to trade for a starter and the rest of the NL West stinks. The Mets know they are cooked this year, so they'll just implode as usual with the players already sniping at each other. The Cubs are being sold, so that's not the ideal circumstances to make blockbuster trades. The Cardinals are leading their division, but just might be interested. I hope not.
The wild card among possible destinations is the Milwaukee Brewers. They desperately need pitching and they might just make a young stud player available. Ryan Braun recently popped off about how the Brewers need to go get some pitching since the guys they have basically suck. This did not go over well with GM Bob Melvin. Could Braun be on the trade block now and could he be traded for Halladay? That sure would be a trade of mega-talented players. I hope the Jays think they're already set in the OF with guys like Vernon Wells and Alex Rios, who are both signed to long-term contracts.
That leaves the Phillies as a possible trade partner for the Jays. And the Phillies have plenty of young talent that would interest the Jays. You want a five-tool OF? How about Michael Taylor, hitting .339, with 15 HRs, 62 RBIs, 54 Runs and only 48 Ks in 292 ABs in AA. Or maybe a young Catcher like Lou Marson, who was ranked #43 by MLB.com among prospects coming into the 2009 season. What team isn't dying for a hot Catching prospect? Need an infielder? How about SS Jason Donald, who's name comes up in every conversation when the Phillies inquire about a trade.
Need some young pitching prospects? The Phillies have plenty. Two former 1st round picks are dazzling in AA. Joe Savery is 11-1 with a 3.34 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. Kyle Drabek is 5-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. Drabek is rumored to be untouchable, but for Halladay, I'm thinking the Phillies will offer him up quicker than those sick parents who let their young sons sleep in Michael Jackson's bed for the payday later. In AAA the Phillies have Carlos Carrasco who was rated as the # 28 prospect by MLB.com. He struggled early this season, but is said to have electric stuff. Want a young pitcher with some major league experience? How about J.A. Happ, who is 5-0 with a 2.96 ERA for the Phillies.
My point is that the Phillies have the ammunition to make a trade for Roy Halladay. All they have to do is pull the trigger.
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10 comments
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you might be right that they won't listen to the Yankees or the Red Sox, but if they do, their loss for ignoring two potential suitors. If the Jays are dealing a "top 5" player, like they claim, they should listen to all offers. Salary caps are just not effective, see related blog
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Everret also mentioned that the Jays are trying to get any team that wants to trade for Halladay to take Vernon Wells in the deal too. That seems like a good thing until you realize that Wells is owed $20 Million next year. The Jays are having some serious money issues and want to dump his salary. They just dumped BJ Ryan and ate over $15 million in salary they owe him. Ouch. So the Phils might have to trade either Shane Victorino or Jayson Werth with a bunch of top porspects to get Halladay and Wells? I'd STILL do it. Put up or shut up time for the Phillies management.
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I heard Seth Everret from MLB.com on the radio this morning talking about Halladay. He said he talked to Ricciardi and Halladay will NOT be traded within the division. Everret figures the Sox and Yanks will just wait until he becomes a free agent after next year and offer more money than everybody else, like they always do. Baseball really needs a salary cap. He also said they are talking to the Angels about a trade involving Jered Weaver, Howie Kendrick and a top pitching prospect and top hitting prospect. He didn't think the Angels would do that and neither do I, but I guess now we have an idea of what it would cost. He also ruled out the Cubs, because of the pending sale, just like I said. He also ruled out the Tigers because they are having financial troubles. It's looking like I'm right that the Phillies are the most logical partner for a trade. Now get it done Phillies!
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This would be to good to be true!!!! Remember, we are talking about the Phillies Ownership here. Also, nice touch with the Michael Jackson comment. I almost choked on my beer laughing so hard!!!
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I agree that it's a good title, although everybody needs a Halladay... Can you rule out trading within the division? The Yankees and the Red Sox could at the very least drive up the price. J.P. would be crazy to not listen to every team, in the east or not, and then take the best offer, which might mean trading within the division...
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Sheedy, Peavy can't hold Halladay's jockstrap. I read that Braun is on the block and why not? He sounds like a self-absorbed PUNK who blames everybody but himself when things go wrong. The Phillies got better when they traded talented but selfish Bobby Abreau and got a better atmosphere in teh clubhouse. Halladay has a full no-trade clause. But he has has never made the playoffs and the Phillies are the defending Champs. If he is any kind of competitor he wants to win and the Phils offer him the best chance at that.
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Don't forget that he eats innings which will save the bullpen down the road. As for the Cubs, while the sale is a consideration, the big holdup that their farm system is so depleted, they didn't have enough to get Jake Peavy from the Padres. The Brewers did make the move for Sabathia last year and, no, Braun is not on the block. While I side with Melvin on that one, he should be fired if he trades Braun because of that. Question - Does Halladay have a no-trade clause? If he does, would he want to go to a hitters park like Philly?
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I thought about going with "Phillies need a Halladay", but liked this one better. Halladay makes any team a legit contender for a Championship, which is why the Phillies need to get him at all costs.
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I think we can agree on one thing, Halladay and Hamels would certainly make repeating much more attainable
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I like the title