Tagged: Roy Halladay
Angels checking out set-up men
It’s unlikely the Angels will make a big, bold, Mark Teixeira-type move again this summer, but they’re monitoring every living, breathing reliever who could fill a late-innings role in front of closer Brian Fuentes.
Trouble is, teams in possession of these valuable commodities figure to ask for more than the Angels are willing to deliver. That seems to be the case with Orioles lefty George Sherrill, who would give the Angels a pair of left-handed hammers at the back end. Baltimore knows his value and is looking for a pair of prime-time prospects such as Brandon Wood and lefty Trevor Reckling, according to the LA Times. Hard to imagine the Angels doing something like that.
This could become a moot point if Jose Arredondo makes it back to anything resembling his 2008 form in Triple-A Salt Lake in his recovery from elbow issues.
With John Lackey back in top form and Sean O’Sullivan racking up wins at the back of the rotation, it doesn’t appear likely the Angels would give up the farm for Roy Halladay, as appealing as the great right-hander would be. The Indians’ Cliff Lee could be more in their ballpark.
The Angels have a surplus of highly athletic infielders and talented young pitchers. But with so many free agents looming this winter — Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, Vladimir Guerrero, Chone Figgins, Bobby Abreu, Darren Oliver — they’re understandably leery of moving the athletes and arms coveted by other clubs.
— Lyle Spencer
If Halladay stays, does Lee go?
The Indians, staying true to company form, are mum on whether or not Cliff Lee is on the block. But if what Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi said today is true, and Roy Halladay is, indeed, “unlikely” to be traded, that would only serve to make Lee all the more valuable to contending clubs.
Several of those clubs, including the Phillies and Dodgers, had scouts at tonight’s game at the Rogers Centre to watch Lee, and they saw the reigning AL Cy Young winner turn in a complete-game gem against Halladay’s Jays. Lee improved to 6-9 with a 3.17 ERA in a season in which his record is no indication of how well he’s pitched.
The contenders know this, and the Indians have to know their odds of keeping Lee beyond his 2010 option year, in which he’d make $9 million, are slim to none. Of course, trading Lee in advance of that option year, with no top-of-the-rotation starters in the system or on the horizon, would surely be a major blow to any hopes of the Tribe contending next season. But trading Lee with a little less than a year and a half left on his contract would allow the Indians to pull in maximum value for the left-hander.
Teams get desperate for starting help this time of year, and it’s not every day that a club can land a bona fide No. 1 of Lee’s ilk. If Halladay is pulled from the block, as Ricciardi hints, then the desperation to land Lee only rises — and with it rises the temptation for the Tribe to pull the trigger on a trade.
— Anthony Castrovince
A pre-Deadline deadline for Doc?
If the Blue Jays are going to pull the trigger on a trade that sends ace Roy Halladay to a contender for a blockbuster package of players, the deal isn’t likely to be of the last-minute variety. In fact, Toronto may be inclined to set an internal deadline prior to the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline.
“If you ask me today if we’re going to trade Roy Halladay, I’d say no,” Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi told the New York Times. “Something could happen between now and the Trade Deadline, but this isn’t something that’s suddenly going to happen with someone on the 30th.”
As things currently line up, Halladay is scheduled to start on the road against the Mariners on July 29. According to the report in the NY Times, Ricciardi indicated that he doesn’t want Toronto’s ace taking the hill in Seattle with the thought that he could be dealt in the two days following his start.
Beyond that aspect, the Blue Jays would likely become sellers in the event that Doc is dealt. If Toronto is blown away by an offer and opts to trade Halladay, doing so before the 30th would give the club more time to shop some of its other players. Other Jays players involved in rumors include Scott Rolen, Alex Rios, Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay, Jason Frasor and Scott Downs.
–Jordan Bastian
A need in the bullpen
Right-handed relievers Joel Peralta and Manuel Corpas struggled in the final two innings of Monday night’s win over Arizona, which means speculation over the Rockies’ trading plans began anew. Actually, the feeling that the Rockies need bullpen help has lingered for more than a month. Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post has linked the Rockies to Arizona’s Chad Qualls and Houston’s LaTroy Hawkins (who pitched for the 2007 NL Champion Rockies). Renck also reported recently that the price for obtaining Toronto’s Roy Halladay — righty Ubaldo Jimenez and prospects — is likely too high for the Rockies.
The player to keep an eye on is third baseman Garrett Atkins, who hit .327 in June but has dipped again in July. Teams continue to scout to see if his swing has returned to previous levels.
— Thomas Harding
Doubtful Doc will make housecalls at Fenway
With t-minus two weeks until the trade deadline, Red Sox fans shouldn’t waste time having thoughts about a postseason rotation of Halladay-Beckett-Lester. The price — major prospects, not to mention the money to sign Halladay long-term — figures to be too steep for Boston’s taste.
The Red Sox strongly believe in building around their core of prospects instead of dealing them away.
Besides, GM J.P. Ricciardi — according to several reports — told both the Red Sox and Yankees that the price for them would be significantly steeper than a non-AL East team, which makes perfect sense.
Here is Epstein’s take on trying to trade for an elite starting pitcher, without mentioning Halladay by name:
“It’s always tempting but it always comes at great cost. When you do it through the free agent market, it comes at tremendous risk in terms of the years and dollars you have to spend and if you do it through trade, it comes at tremendous cost – your best and most promising prospects – the core of your organization in a lot of ways.”
“The only way to do it that seems to make the most sense every time is to develop them from within. We’re lucky that we have a talented starting pitching core here that’s doing a great job and has kept us where we are in the standings and a lot of talented young pitchers in the Minor Leagues, one of which is going to pitch here tonight for the Big League club, to fortify the organization going forward. We’ll see what happens on the trade front. Things are always tempting but those temptations always come at a cost.”
— Ian Browne
All eyes on Halladay
Many on hand at Rogers Centre on Sunday afternoon wondered if they were watching Roy Halladay’s last outing as the ace of the Blue Jays. If so, Doc did not disappoint, spinning a complete-game gem en route to a 3-1 win over the Red Sox.
“I was hoping he’d have an unbelievable performance, something I could remember when I look back at my time here in Toronto,” Jays catcher Rod Barajas said. “It definitely goes through your head. I hope it’s not the last time. Everybody in this clubhouse hopes it’s not the last time.”
Multiple reports indicated that representatives from the Dodgers, Phillies, Brewers, Tigers, Red Sox, Rangers and Twins were in attendance for Halladay’s latest start, which netted his 11th win and lowered his ERA to 2.73. Former Jays GMs Pat Gillick (Phillies) and Gord Ash (Brewers) were in Toronto for the entire weekend series against Boston.
Philadelphia is still believed to be the front-runner to land Halladay, and the Jays and Phils have reportedly already discussed a few of the Phillies’ top prospects, including outfielder Michael Taylor, shortstop Jason Donald and pitcher Carlos Carrasco. Top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek likely needs to be included to convince the Jays to pull the trigger on any deal with the Phils.
As far as the other clubs in attendance for Halladay’s start, it’s possible some were there to take a look at Boston’s players, or Toronto’s relievers — Doc’s fourth complete game of the year robbed scouts of that chance — and position players. The Red Sox don’t have serious interest in Halladay and the Rangers and Twins appear to be long shots.
It’s worth noting that Ash was at the helm in Toronto when the Blue Jays drafted Halladay. According to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com, “Rival teams say the Brewers have enough prospects to make a Halladay deal.”
Prior to previous Trade Deadlines, Halladay’s name has been tossed around in rumors and reports. This year, though, the speculation is real and Halladay’s recent comments indicate that he’s more open to the idea of being dealt than he was in the past. On Saturday, Halladay’s wife, Brandy, stepped into the radio booth during the Jays’ game and the talk eventually turned to the wave of rumors.
“This very well could be our last homestand,” Brandy Halladay said on The FAN590. “If something happens before the Trade Deadline, I won’t be back. That’s difficult. That’s more than difficult. I just broke into tears four minutes ago. … It’s very difficult for everybody. … You’re making me cry now.”
–Jordan Bastian
Rangers, Halladay watch
Yes, the Rangers are interested in Roy Halladay. There has been dialogue between the two clubs and the Blue Jays are scouting the Rangers farm system.
The biggest obstacle is the Rangers being able to take on Halladay’s salary. Another obstacle is the Blue Jays need a shortstop. Word is they want Elvis Andrus. Who wouldn’t? It’s unlikely that will happen.
Rangers officials term it a “longshot” in being able to land Halladay.
— T.R. Sullivan
Could Tigers get involved with Halladay?
The Tigers can’t be ruled out as a potential suitor for Roy Halladay, the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo suggests, if for no bigger reason than owner Mike Ilitch’s recent track record for spending lots of money to try to win. It was Ilitch, after all, that gave some push to the Tigers to acquire Miguel Cabrera from Florida two years ago, and signed him to an eight-year, $152.3 million contract. Ilitch’s willingness has also allowed the Tigers to maintain payroll over $125 million and swallow Gary Sheffield’s $13.6 million salary to release the slugger out of spring training.
The Tigers have a question at the back end of their rotation, where lefty Luke French will make his third Major League start coming out of the All-Star break Friday at Yankee Stadium. Detroit has been rumored to be looking for another starter, but not necessarily of the front-line variety.
The problem for the Tigers with any look at Halladay might not be so much financial as much as talent in return. With no Tigers products on Baseball America’s midseason top 50 prospects, Detroit’s top-level prospect talent essentially begins and ends with AL Rookie of the Year candidate Rick Porcello and reliever Ryan Perry, and Porcello is believed to be about as close to untouchable as the rest of Detroit’s young core.
— Jason Beck
Trade Talk 