Blue Jays President and CEO Paul Beeston told the New York Post on Friday that Roy Halladay is not interested in staying with the Blue Jays and he is not anticipating him being with the team past next season when his contract expires. Beeston says Halladay is interested in playing for a franchise that has a chance at competing for a championship now and not several years down the road.
The Blue Jays have also reportedly agreed to let prospective trading partners negotiate with Halladay’s agent leading to speculation that Halladay is going to be dealt sooner rather than later. This, of course, leads Yankees fans and the New York media to assume he will be in New York by the end of next season.
The question is whether the Yanks have and are willing to part with the type of players the Blue Jays are looking for. At one time the Jays would be demanding someone like Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain in a deal for Halladay, but, with them coming up on arbitration years the cost-conscious Jays are not as interested in players of their ilk. There are also some questions as to whether Chamberlain is ever going to develop into a top of the rotation pitcher. They are going to want talent that is major league ready but not as experienced as Hughes or Chamberlain. Their best chance at landing him will be if he hits free agency and that is not likely to happen if he gets dealt.
The latest rumors have the Jays talking to the Cubs about a deal involving some of their top major league ready prospects. The Cubs are desperate to unload malcontent Milton Bradley to help offset the cost of such a move but the Blue Jays have no interest in Bradley and the Cubs are reluctant to part with some of the names the Blue Jays are asking for.
Bob Nightengale of the USA Today says the Dodgers are rumored to be jumping into the mix for Halladay. It is believed that the Dodgers are willing to part with Chad Billingsley or Clayton Kershaw to land Halladay. There is also some speculation that they may need to thrown in Matt Kemp or Andre Either as well.
The Red Sox are also a team to keep an eye on as well. They would more than willing to package a deal around Clay Buchholz and might be convinced to throw young hurler Daniel Bard into the pot as well if it means keeping Halladay out of a Yankees uniform.
Related Posts
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
Blogged
Technorati
(4.33 out of 5)