Halladay Trade Rumors Getting Old

As much as the Phillies want Blue Jays’ ace and former Cy Young award winner Roy Halladay, the hope for a successful deal is decreasing each day that goes by before the July 31st MLB deadline. Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi boldly stated that he will not “force” any trade including Halladay. He will only trade him under certain circumstances. Ricciardi said that he wants to be “wowed” by an offer, and until he is, nothing will be done. Though there is still hope for the Phillies with just five days left until the deadline, Halladay and the Blue Jays have given clues to the press that he will spend at least the rest of the 2009 season in Toronto.


Not only have the rumors been flying around baseball news lately, but among all of the speculations, trades have been offered, rejected, and countered. The following are all of the trades including Halladay between the Blue Jays and Phillies.

Saturday July 25th: Blue Jays offer
Blue Jays give: Roy Halladay (SP)
Phillies give: J.A. Happ (SP), Kyle Drabek (SP prospect), Dominic Brown (OF prospect)

Sunday July 26th: Phillies Counter offer
Blue Jays give: Roy Halladay (SP)
Phillies give: J.A. Happ (SP), Michael Taylor (OF prospect), Jason Donald (SS prospect), Carlos Carrasco (SP prospect)

There are just two days left before Ricciardi’s July 28th deadline, and if Phillies stud starting pitcher and three highly regarded triple A Lehigh Valley prospects aren’t enough, I don’t believe anything will be. Not only will finding a deal that will work for both teams be quite difficult, but the competition still remains as well. Many people have forgotten that even though the Phillies may be the front-runners in getting Halladay, there are still other teams that are trying to pursue him, just quietly. One such team is the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels are probably the second most aggressive team in trying to obtain Halladay other than the Phillies. Many say the Angels have the desire and the will to reach Ricciardi’s high expectations, but they may not have the players and type of prospects the Phillies do to back that up.

One last thing that Phillies fans and baseball observers are forgetting is that not getting Halladay would not be the end of the season for the Phillies. So many people are so wrapped up in the rumors and trade speculations surrounding Halladay, that they don’t realize that they could still have a chance for a repeat without him. Though Halladay may be one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball today, there are plenty of other pitchers that the Phillies are keeping in mind, just in case their Halladay plans don’t work out. There are plenty of other pitchers who could help the Phillies. Such pitchers are the Pirates’ Zach Duke, and the Mariners’ Jarrod Washburn. And if the Phils staff continues their recent hot tear, then no one will be complaining.

Just as many have said in the past, there is not one Phillies fan who does not want Halladay, but if they take their minds and eyes out of the Halladay trade rumors for one moment, they could realize that the Phillies could spend a lot of more money, time, and investments on deciding to sign or trade for a less expensive, and quite name. Though they may not be as dominant, powerful, and consistent as Halladay, usually the quiet and unnoticed trades are the ones that eventually turn out the best.