- Anthony Riber of Newsday writes that if the Yankees really want ace Roy Halladay, they might have to take Vernon Wells too, who could fill their potential void in left field…

…however, Ken Davidoff of Newsday essentially contradicts his co-worker by writing that GM Brian Cashman prefers to improve his roster this year without taking a dive into the trade market. So in essence, the Bombers might be fine with staying pat around the trade deadline.

- Speaking of Halladay, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that the Brewers could have the ace in their sites, as GM Doug Melvin has already had a conversation with the Blue Jays regarding the “Doc.”

- The Giants are still in search of bats, but it’s unclear if GM Brian Sabean wants to pull the trigger or not on a bat like Matt Holliday or Jermaine Dye. Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News threw out Blue Jays third baseman Scott Rolen as a possibility for San Fran as well.

- Bill Ladson of MLB.com is reporting that there isn’t much of a market for Nationals outfielder Austin Kearns, who has been delegated to back up duty in Washington.

Anyone that has a hair up their ass about the way the Yankees go after big names on the free agent and trade market will be happy to know that the Bronx Bombers won’t be pursuing Blue Jays’ ace Roy Halladay.

The New York Post’s Joel Sherman is reporting that the Yanks will not attempt to trade for Halladay because he would essentially cost too much both financially and in prospects. If you remember correctly, Yankee officials said the same thing about trying to acquire Johan Santana last year and they stuck to their guns by not heavily pursuing the former Twin.

Not wanting to give up a ton of prospects I buy. But who are the Yankees fooling by saying Halladay would cost too much? Even after handing CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira truckloads of money last winter, the Yankees wouldn’t bat an eye paying the rest of Halladay’s salary.

That said, I do believe the Bombers will inevitably stay out of this one. Jays’ GM J.P. Ricciardi is going to ask for a hefty package in return for Halladay, seeing as how he’s easily a top 5 pitcher in a weak market for starters. In the end, the Yankees, as with a lot of teams, don’t want to give up three or four top prospects for what could be only a year and a half of Halladay (who becomes a free agent after 2010).

The Phillies, Angels, Dodgers and Cardinals remain the teams most interested in Halladay, although there are bound to be others that will emerge as the trade deadline approaches.