Roy Halladay: Phils, Halos, and Rays, Oh My!

The Favorite: Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies are the best bet for Halladay, and it looks like they will get him…maybe. J.P. Ricciardi is asking for quite a lot of prospects for the future Hall Of Famer, including rookie sensation J.A. Happ and top prospect Kyle Drabeck. 

This is the sticking point for the Phillies.

The Phillies may bump up the amount of players sent to Toronto if they can hold onto one of these great prospects, but it will have to be the right combination. It seems like just a matter of time before this deal is done and Roy Halladay is part of the Phillies.  If you like the Phillies to win the World Series, you may want to get in on them now before this price goes up.

UPDATE: According to an executive of one team that has spoken with the Phillies’ brass, the Phillies are adamantly opposed to giving up both Happ and Drabek. There are indications they would like to substitute pitching prospect Carlos Carrasco for one of those two, preferably in place of the highly regarded Drabek.

“If there was an urgency to be somewhere else and an urgency from the team to have me somewhere else, I think it would be different,” Halladay said Friday. “I just don’t get that feeling. At this point I feel like I’m going to be here.”

Current Odds to win the World Series.

Still Have a Shot: Anaheim Angels

The Angels are still in this race, and they may have a shot to surpass the Phillies, but again, they have to meet the asking price of Ricciardi.

One major league source told FOXSports.com on Saturday that Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi countered by asking for a four-player package: left-handed starter Joe Saunders, third baseman/shortstop Brandon Wood, shortstop Erick Aybar and a high-ceiling prospect from among the group of outfielders Peter Bourjos, left-hander Trevor Reckling and right-hander Sean O’Sullivan.

The Angels have turned up the heat and are pressuring the Phillies to get the job done. If they don’t land Roy Halladay, expect the Angels to try and get Scott Kazmir from the Rays.

It Will Be Tough But: Tampa Bay Rays

Roy Halladay has told several Tampa Bay players that he would waive his no-trade clause to play for the Rays, according to major-league sources. The pitcher resides in Odessa, Fla., just north of the Tampa Bay area. The Rays have the prospects to pull the deal off but they don’t have the payroll flexibility. Other teams may have to get involved and the Rays would have to clear payroll first by trading Scott Kazmir. This would be tough, but still an outside shot.

There are other teams that are being mentioned in the deal such as Boston (no way, since they are in the same division as Toronto) and the Dodgers, but these three teams have the best shot. By this time next week Roy Halladay will be in a new uniform.