For 10 million, you have to more than slightly better to make it worth the expenditure.

How to get Roy Halladay

Thursday, July 9, 2009 | Feedback | Print Entry

Who is going to get Roy Halladay?

“It’s the guy who calls (Toronto GM) J.P. Ricciardi and says, ‘OK, I want Halladay and I know the price is going to hurt, but let’s get it done,’” said a baseball official Wednesday. “It’s not the guy who calls with their Baseball America list of Top 10 prospects and says, ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t talk about any of these guys.’ J.P. is the type who will stay on the phone with you 12 straight hours if he feels like he can get a deal done.”

John Schuerholz was known as an excellent trade partner in his time as general manager, someone who could make a blockbuster, because he would, in effect, broker the deal from both sides. He’d work quickly, he’d work aggressively, he’d know all the players involved, and he would understand how to make the trade work for the other team. He didn’t walk into the conversation trying to fleece the other team. Among current GMs, Kenny Williams of the White Sox is said by his peers to work as Schuerholz did, as does Jim Hendry of the Cubs, Kevin Towers of the Padres, Milwaukee’s Doug Melvin, Oakland’s Billy Beane and Cleveland’s Mark Shapiro, among others.

To read Buster’s take on what it’ll take for teams like St. Louis, Philly, Texas, Boston, New York and others to land Halladay, plus other rumors, notes and results, you must be an ESPN Insider.

If the Phillies land Halladay, they would immediately become the easy odds-on favorite to repeat as NL champions. If the Cardinals get Halladay, they would become the team most likely to break out of the NL Central mud bog. If the Dodgers were to get him, we might see Manny and Halladay dancing together at an L.A. championship parade.

We’ve heard so much in recent months and years about how teams are ever more reluctant to give up young talent, about how they are shying away from investing in players in their 30s. Well, Halladay is an exception to that, because he is the total package: Exceptional pitcher, tremendous durability, tremendous capacity to age well because of the movement on his stuff and his knowledge of pitching, incredible work ethic, great teammate, the consummate professional, an admired leader. Before this year’s draft, Ricciardi was talking about Halladay and mentioned that he had been looking over scouting reports of young players, and he realized for a moment, that if you spend a lifetime in baseball, you will perhaps be lucky enough to draft one Roy Halladay.

Ricciardi would love to keep Halladay, but the right-hander is eligible for free agency after the 2010 season and he is unlikely to re-sign with the Blue Jays. So Toronto will look to make the move now, or in this off-season. It all depends on who is willing to pay the price.

When it comes to players like Halladay, there’s no such thing as sticking a toe in the water. You dive in or you don’t get the player. So while the Phillies might want to make outfielder Michael Taylor an untouchable, as Bill Conlin writes, they would have to be willing to give up a Kyle Drabek and discuss the rest of their prospects. Or maybe they’d want to hold back Drabek — but they’d have to be ready to part with Taylor, Jason Donald and J.A. Happ. They cannot open the conversation with the Jays by listing three to six prospects they absolutely will not trade and then expect to get one of the two or three or four best pitchers on the planet.

No, if any team wants Halladay, they’re going to have to be prepared to give up a lot. The Cardinals are serious about Halladay, and a club official told Joe Strauss what he perceives the price tag to be: “Asked about the price tag for Halladay, a club source said: “Give Ricciardi all our minor-league rosters and let him circle any 5 names.”

The Brewers intend to check in on Halladay. The Phillies are serious players for Halladay, writes Andy Martino and Jim Salisbury.

The Rangers’ top-ranked farm system could help them get Halladay if they dive into the mix, writes Jeff Wilson; the Rangers will be choosy, says Tom Hicks, who is having financial trouble. Dealing for the ace would be expensive for the Red Sox or any other team, writes Sean McAdam.

In Toronto, the tone is different. Jeff Blair has a Halladay trade primer. There are only three reasons why you might trade Halladay, writes Bob Elliott.

I do kinda like the sappiness.

Lots of talk about being a family and a whole lot more hugging than in years past.

I remember the Yanks playing the Jays last year and the Toronto pitchers all greeting the guy who came out of the game with hugs.

Seems like AJ brought good pitching, pies and hugs with him from N. of the border.

actually, we would still take Gardner.

him receiving playing time, permits him to develop as a player. And he provides youth to a veteran team. Statistics don’t measure everything.