Where you going on Halladay?

The past few weeks have been riddled with talks about the impending trade deadline. Dominating the talks is Roy Halladay, one of the best pitchers in baseball. Normally a pitcher of Roy Halladay's caliber would not be traded but rather locked up for a multi-year contract. After an off-season that saw AJ Burnett leave for the New York Yankees and receiving nothing in return the Jays GM JP Ricciardi is looking for pieces to build with in return for his ace pitcher. Several teams have been rumored to be in talks with the Jays. These teams are the Philadelphia Phillies, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees, the Texas Rangers, and the Boston Red Sox. Of those five teams I believe only the Phillies have true interest in the right hander.

Now there is a huge difference between interest and possibility of actually making the trade. It is my belief that this trade will not be made this season. Ricciardi who knows Halladay's worth has made it clear that Halladay will not come cheap, this season at least. In order for Halladay to be traded this season I believe Ricciardi is looking for a trade that favors the Jays in terms of young major league ready talent. There is no urgency for this trade to be made before the July 31 deadline. For that reason JP Ricciardi can sit back until the deadline this year and even the offseason before urgency sets in. This deadline, in my opinion, gives Ricciardi the option to send out an invitation to all teams and say "impress me". Unless a deal comes along that sets the Jays up for the next 6 years I can not see Halladay being traded this season.

This is not to say the trade deadline will not provide a great deal of buzz. As we all know the Pirates are still in MLB and have two very good infielders in Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson, so look for the Pirates to ship them out. The Phillies, although actively after Halladay, would still be looking to snag a starting pitcher. When it comes down to Halladay, all the buzz around him being traded will resume this time next year.