The Scores Report - The National Sports Blog » Roy Halladay trade rumors

Phillies emerging as the favorite to acquire Halladay?

Anthony Stalter — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:14:05 +0000

SI.com’s Tom Verducci writes that the Phillies are the emerging favorite to acquire Blue Jays’ ace Roy Halladay.

After almost a decade in which democracy ruled in the NL, Philadelphia is becoming the Yankees of its league: the king who wants more. Already the two-time league champion, the Phillies, given their aggressiveness and stockpile of young talent, are emerging as the favorite to land Toronto ace Roy Halladay. Anybody want to pick against the Phillies being the NL’s first three-peat champ since the 1942-44 Cardinals if Cole Hamels is their number three pitcher behind Halladay and Cliff Lee?

“They’ve been very aggressive,” one baseball source said about the Phillies’ pursuit of Halladay. “They’re putting together a package, even if they need another team. They’re trying to find the players [on other teams] the Blue Jays want to get it done.”

Hmm, one day the Angels are the frontrunners and now the Phillies are. The biggest storyline of the MLB winter meetings is only getting more intriguing.

This is an interesting report because on one hand, a rotation of Halladay, Lee and Hamels would be unbelievable and would make Philadelphia the perennial favorite to repeat as NL champions. But on the other hand, do they really want to give up more of their farm system?

The other question is whether or not they would sign Halladay to a long-term deal if they did acquire him. It wouldn’t make much sense to trade away most of your farm to acquire Halladay for just one season, would it?

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Report: Angels make offer to Blue Jays for Roy Halladay

Anthony Stalter — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:56:14 +0000

According to a report by the Toronto Sun, the Angels have offered starting pitcher Joe Saunders, shortstop Erick Aybar and outfielder Peter Bourjos to the Blue Jays for ace Roy Halladay.

For the second day in succession the Angels are the lead team in the chase for Halladay, a year away from free agency.

And unless someone steps up with a better offer could the Angels wind up with Halladay? Will Halladay report to a west coast team which has spring training in Arizona?

“Let me ask you this,” said one major league executive, “do you think that the Angels would be running through hoops, having one conversation after another with the Jays and not know whether Halladay would report to Los Angeles?”
Good point.

The Angels are also in on free agents John Lackey, Jason Bay and Matt Holliday.

For the past three seasons, the Angels have made the postseason and have yet to even sniff a World Series appearance (although last year they did push the Yankees to a Game 7 in the ALDS). Thus, it would make sense that they’re trying to load up in efforts to match the Yankees and contend for a title next season.

As the article points out, the question now becomes whether or not Halladay would want to join a club that holds their spring training in Arizona instead of Florida. It has become public knowledge that Halladay wants to go to a team that trains in Florida, because his home is in Tampa.

That said, if Halladay truly wants to play for a contender, this might be his best and most realistic shot.

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Halladay puts the squeeze on the Jays

Anthony Stalter — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:00:15 +0000

Roy Halladay’s message to the Blue Jays is simple: Either deal me before spring training or get nothing in return for my services when I walk at the end of the season.

Halladay’s people recently informed the Jays that he would not accept a trade after he reports to spring training this season. So if the club had plans to trade him before the trade deadline to a desperate buyer willing to give up more in a package deal, then they should think again.

This is power move by Halladay, who doesn’t want to spend another second in Toronto if he doesn’t have to. If he knows he’ll eventually be traded, he might as well force a deal before the season so he can get acclimated to his new team from Day 1 of spring training.

On the other side, this could either be a great thing for the Blue Jays or a terrible one. Sometimes when teams wait to trade a marquee player, they get less at the deadline than they would have in the offseason. While it’s true other clubs are more desperate at the deadline, GMs will know that the Jays want to trade Halladay and may try to low ball them in terms of offers.

On the other hand, if new GM Alex Anthopoulos can’t pull the trigger on a deal before the deadline and Halladay sticks to his guns, then there’s a big chance that Toronto will get nothing in return for the ace.

With this move, Halladay just amp’ed up the intrigue surrounding this situation.

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Halladay would approve trade to Yankees

Anthony Stalter — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:00:45 +0000

According to a report by Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, Roy Halladay would approve a deal to the Yankees.

It always has been a possibility. Now that chance has been upgraded.

“I don’t know who Toronto will wind up with,” a major league executive said yesterday. “I don’t know when he is going and I don’t know where he’s going.

“But I do know that Halladay has told the Jays he’ll approve a trade to the Yankees.”

The unknown wild card in any Halladay talks, as it was prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline when then general manager J.P. Ricciardi attempted to move his best starter, has been Halladay.

Halladay has a full no-trade clause in his contract, but it would likely take a haul to get him in a deal from Toronto. The Yankees certainly have the money to make Halladay happy, but can they put together a package intriguing enough to entice the Jays?

That said, Halladay has already stated that he has no interest in re-signing with the Jays and with that in mind, Toronto could be more apt to take a lesser deal so that they get something for “The Doc” before he bolts at the end of the year.

This situation will be the most intriguing storyline of the year next season.

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Report: Tigers could have had Halladay?

Anthony Stalter — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:35:44 +0000

According to a report by Lynn Henning of the Detroit News, the Blue Jays wanted starter Rick Porcello, Ryan Perry and Casey Crosby from the Tigers in exchange for ace Roy Halladay but Detroit declined.

Porcello is a 20-year-old right-hander who is 9-7 with a 4.62 ERA and likely will draw votes for American League rookie of the year.

Perry, 22, another right-hander, was the Tigers’ first-round draft pick in 2008 and has pitched effectively out of the bullpen for manager Jim Leyland’s club. His ERA is 3.90, but 1.80 since his recent recall from the minors.

Crosby, 20, was the Tigers’ fifth-round draft pick in 2007 and is regarded as perhaps its top minor league prospect. He is a left-hander who pitches at Class A West Michigan, where he is 8-3 with a 2.92 ERA.

Let’s operate under the assumption that this report is true. Why wouldn’t the Tigers pull the trigger on a deal like this? I understand that Porcello, Perry and Crosby would have been quite a steep price to pay, but the Tigers have a solid pitching rotation and adding an arm like Halladay would have given them an opportunity to compete for a World Series.

The postseason is all about who can compile the best four-man rotation and Detroit could have had a quartet of Halladay, Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson and Armando Galarraga. Granted, Galarraga would have been a weak link, but Tiger opponents would still have had to deal with a top three of Halladay, Verlander and Jackson in a seven-game series. That rotation, coupled with a solid lineup, could have potentially lifted the Tigers back to the World Series for the second time in four years. (That’s not to say that the Tigers can’t compete for a World Series without Halladay, but you get the point.)

With baseball transforming back into a young man’s game, I respect that the Tigers want to hang onto their youth. But Halladay is damn near a guarantee, which can’t be said for the three prospects Detroit would have had to give up. Plus, with Halladay not set to become a free agent until after the 2010 season, if the Tigers weren’t satisfied with the trade, they could have flipped the “Doc” next year and got prospects (not those prospects, but prospects) back.

I just don’t understand why the Tigers wouldn’t take a chance and pull the trigger on a deal like this. It could have been the difference from winning the AL Central and winning the AL Pennant.

Twenty-five random MLB trade thoughts and predictions

Anthony Stalter — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:45:13 +0000

With the MLB trade deadline approaching on Friday, I have zero time to waste writing a creative intro that you’ll either a) take the time to read or b) take the time to read.

So I’ll cut right to the chase: I have got about a million random thoughts and predictions (25, actually) bouncing around in this noggin of mine, so I’ve decided to compile them in one heaping pile of organized chaos below. Feel free to add your own thoughts and predictions in the comments section and then we can play a couple rounds of “I told you so!” after the trade deadline passes on Friday.

1. I was close, but wrong with my prediction early last week that the Blue Jays will trade Roy Halladay to the Phillies. They would have traded him to the Phillies, but Philadelphia didn’t want to give up a promising major league starter in J.A. Happ, their top minor league pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, and a promising minor league outfielder named Dominic Brown in order to complete the deal. And who could blame them? That’s one steep price to pay, even for a player of Halladay’s caliber.

2. Instead, I fully believe that Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi was never going to trade Halladay in the first place, unless he was so blown away by an offer that he couldn’t pass it up. Halladay isn’t a free agent until after the 2010 season, so Ricciardi used this past month to gauge what he could potentially get for the ace for next year.

3. That said, if Philadelphia changes its mind, then Ricciardi has no choice but to deal the “Doc.”

4. For those who think the Yankees will come out of nowhere and land Halladay because “the Yankees get everybody,” think again. The Bombers won’t be the surprise team that swoops in with an offer at the last second – the Red Sox will.

5. A week ago, I thought there was no way Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez (and their manageable contracts through 2010) would be dealt by Cleveland. But now I’m buying into the notion that one, if not both, will be traded by Friday.

6. Indians Prediction #1: Cliff Lee winds up with the Rays or Phillies.

7. Indians Prediction #2: Victor Martinez winds up with the Red Sox or Dodgers.

8. This won’t please many Giants fans, but forget about names like Freddy Sanchez, Victor Martinez and even Nick Johnson, and start thinking about names like Ryan Garko, Marco Scutaro and Aubrey Huff.

9. The Giants won’t sacrifice their future by giving up prospects Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Alderson or Angel Villanlona in a trade(s), even though they’re still in contention and in much need of offense.

10. Any team (ahem, the Red Sox) that thinks they’re going to get Adrian Gonzalez via a trade by Friday’s deadline is dreaming.

11. The Yankees are going to acquire an arm by Friday, but I don’t think it’s going to be a big name like Halladay or Lee, or even a not-so-big name like Ian Snell or Bronson Arroyo. If I had to make a prediction, I bet either Joe Beimel, John Grabow or Ron Mahay is in pinstripes by the end of the week.

12. In wake of the Cardinals acquiring Matt Holliday, Cub fans would probably love to see their club make a move to stay on top of the NL Central (they’re a half game up on St. Louis as of this writing). But what does Chicago have to offer in terms of prospects? They’re not going to trade third base prospect Josh Vitters and they’ll more than likely hang onto Jeff Samardzija given how inconsistent the back end of the bullpen is. So again, what do they have to offer?

13. Scott Rolen is going to be dealt by Friday. To whom I don’t know, but there has to be a team in need of a decent hitting third baseman and the Jays seem committed to finding a trade partner for him.

14. While we’re talking about old, injury-prone, but still decent third basemen, substitute the name “Troy Glaus” for “Scott Rolen” in the above sentence, as well as the “Cardinals” for “Jays.”

15. Freddy Sanchez…Freddy Sanchez…Freddy Sanchez…I’m stumped. I think he would be a great fit for the Giants, Cubs or Twins, but the Giants don’t want to part with any of their top prospects, the Cubs don’t have any top prospects outside of Josh Vitters (who they won’t part with) and the Twins seem content on sticking with Nick Punto and Alexi Casilla up the middle. So maybe Sanchez will wind up staying in Pittsburgh, which seemed unthinkable about a month ago…

16. …all right, all right – what fun is it to speculate that one of the bigger names on the trade market is staying put? (Roy Halladay is already filling that role.) I’ll take a wild stab in the dark and totally contradict what I wrote at No. 8 (hey it’s my column – I can do whatever the hell I want) by saying Sanchez goes to the Giants for Fred Lewis, Kevin Frandsen and Kevin Pucetas.

17. Giants fans just read that above prediction and want to know where they can send me a box of cigars. Pirates fans just read it and want to know where they can FedEx me the head of a dead animal.

18. Another team that could emerge as a possible trade suitor for Sanchez is the Tigers, who would love to add another bat for a second half run.

19. One potential move that I could see the Cubs and Pirates making is a deal for John Grabow, who could be had for a reasonable price (a couple of mid-level prospects) and would help Chicago’s inconsistent bullpen in the second half. But will the Pirates trade within the division?

20. The Twins and A’s shortstop Orlando Cabrera seem like a match just waiting to happen. Now Minnesota just has to put together a decent package to get Oakland GM Billy Beane to sign off on the deal.

21. Is it just me or are the Angels linked to every player on the trade market? I mean, more than any other team, that is. As of this writing, the Halos are targeting Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, me, Michael Wuertz, George Sherrill, my boss, Scott Kazmir, Rafael Betancourt (before he was dealt to Colorado), your boss, and Matt Capps. Out of all of those names, I think Wuertz might be the only player the Halos move on.

22. After acquiring reliever Rafael Betancourt, I say the eventual Wild Card-winning Colorado Rockies are done making moves. Why would they need to add anyone? They haven’t lost since June 4.

23. One team that has been eerily quiet over the past couple weeks is the Brewers, who are currently three games back of the Cubs in the NL Central. Milwaukee keeps its farm system stocked with prospects like your Uncle Teddy keeps his cooler stocked with Bud Light, so something tells me the Brewers are bound to make a big move before the deadline. Those sneaky bastards are up to something…

24. Another team that has been quiet is the White Sox although unlike the Brewers, I don’t think Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen are working on anything. I think the Chi Sox are going to go to battle with the Tigers and Twins with what they currently have on the roster. Still though, it’s not like Williams to sit on his hands, so keep an eye on the Sox.

25. Even though the Rangers are contending in the AL West and would love to add a starter, they’re not going to give up any of their young prospects and make a rash move. Texas has the best farm system in all of baseball – they’re not going to mortgage their future for just one season.

MLB trade rumors: Martinez, Halladay, Lee & Garko

Anthony Stalter — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:15:39 +0000

- The Brewers and Mariners are in serious talks that could send starter Jarrod Washburn to Milwaukee according to the Journal-Sentinel.

- The Yankees are looking for arms and according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark, the Bombers are interested in the Bucs’ Ian Snell, John Grabow and Matt Capps, the Nats’ Joe Beimel, the Royals Ron Mahay, and the Reds’ Bronson Arroyo.

- The Giants are still in desperate need of bats and according to the San Francisco Chronicle, the Indians have been scouting the G-Men’s farm system. Could either Victor Martinez or Ryan Garko be on their way to San Fran?

- Despite Toronto GM J.P. Riccardi saying there is a very slim chance that a trade will happen, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that talks between the Phillies and Blue Jays remain intense. The paper also suggests that the Phillies could turn their attention to Cliff Lee if a deal for Halladay cannot be struck.

- According to the Boston Globe, the Red Sox still remain very much in the hunt for either Roy Halladay or Victor Martinez.

- The Dodgers are denying that a deal between them and the Indians involving Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez is in serious discussion. FOXSports.com reported over the weekend that L.A. and Cleveland were discussing a blockbuster trade that would send Lee and Martinez to the Dodgers for James Loney and either Chad Billingsley or Clayton Kershaw.