Roy Halladay Getting Closer To Being Traded To Phillies
This was from FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal:
“The Blue Jays and Phillies have made progress toward a deal that would send ace Roy Halladay to Philadelphia, major league sources told FOXSports.com.
Halladay has a no-trade clause, but sources said he would approve a trade to the defending World Series champions.
In conversations between the Phillies and Blue Jays, the sources said, Philadelphia officials have indicated a willingness to include one or more of their best prospects in the deal. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro hasn’t ruled out any player in the talks, raising the possibility that right-hander Kyle Drabek might ultimately be included.
A deal is not imminent, as evidenced by the fact that Halladay made his start against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, as scheduled. But there were strong indications Friday that Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi is talking more seriously with Philadelphia than any other team. Ricciardi declined comment when approached by reporters Friday afternoon.
The Dodgers and Rangers, who both have spoken with the Blue Jays about Halladay, didn’t have any contact with Ricciardi on Friday. The Yankees initially expressed interest, but Ricciardi has yet to engage them in talks.
One source did indicate that the Angels, who are very involved in the market for pitching, have improved their offer. But it’s doubtful that they could match a package from the Phillies if Amaro is willing to part with Drabek and at least one other premium player, such as left-hander J.A. Happ, or outfielders Dominic Brown or Michael Taylor.
There is a substantially smaller group of scouts in attendance for Halladay’s start Friday at Rogers Centre than were in Toronto on Sunday, when he pitched a complete game against Boston. Many scouts in town during the week—including those representing the Red Sox and Dodgers—have left.
The Phillies, though, still have a representative at the game. And by next week, they may have a new ace.”
If the Phillies are able to deal some of their top prospects to land Roy Halladay, that would change the power in the National League dramatically.
Adding Halladay to a staff with Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, J.A. Happ, Joe Blanton and eventually Pedro Martinez, plus Brett Myers next season would only increase the Phillies chances of being a World Series contender for the next two seasons.
The Phillies have already shown they can overtake the Dodgers as they did so last season in the playoffs. If the Phillies beat out the Dodgers to get Halladay’s services, this would easily make the Phillies the odds on favorite in the 2009 playoffs for the National League.
It’s also looking like the Phillies are now more willing to part with some of their top prospects than they once were, which may turn out to be a positive, especially for a dominant ace like Halladay.
The only questions will be, will Halladay approve a trade to the Phillies? And will the Phillies want to sign Halladay to a long-term contract and keep him for the rest of his career?
If this is the first major trade for general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr., then he has pulled off a blockbuster of a deal for the Phillies.