The Cardinals are prepared to offer talent for Roy Halladay, but they're not going to disassemble their entire system to acquire the Jays ace, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
"We may be able to give up an arm or a leg," a Cardinals source told Strauss. "But we're not going to sacrifice the whole body."
Strauss hears that the Jays want major league-ready pitching in return for Halladay. This could pose a problem for the Cards, as they may have to surrender Jess Todd or Francisco Samuel to complete the Mark DeRosa deal. The Blue Jays wanted top Cards prospect Brett Wallace in the 2008 draft.
Not only do the Cards have a history of pulling off big trades (Larry Walker, Scott Rolen), they have a history of picking up former Blue Jays starters. Chris Carpenter, Woody Williams and Pat Hentgen all pitched for the Jays then the Cardinals.
