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Phils In “Serious Talks” With Pedro; No Deal Yet

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7:56pm: Stark is now reporting that Pedro has changed his mind and will throw for the Phillies a second time on Friday at 1pm.

7:22pm: A source has told Jayson Stark that the Phillies have requested to see Pedro throw a second time “to see how his arm responds,” but that Pedro has refused. The source told Stark that Pedro feels the Phillies “have enough information to make a decision from his simulated game Tuesday and shouldn’t need him to throw again.”

7:18pm: Here is Todd Zolecki’s summary of the Pedro situation.

5:45pm: The AP has some quotes from Pedro and Amaro. Pedro says this is the best he has felt “for some time.” Amaro reiterated that Pedro has not been signed and that Pedro is “not in town.”

5:30pm: Jon Heyman spoke with Pedro’s agent who says Pedro will make a decision by Sunday.

5:29pm: Nobody has addressed this yet, but if the $4MM figure is accurate, it would most certainly have to be prorated, which would mean the Phillies would only pay Pedro about $2MM for the remainder of the season.

5:12pm: Zolecki is now reporting that Pedro has informed the AP that his agent “is negotiating” with the Phillies.

4:57pm: Amaro told Zolecki the Phillies haven’t signed Pedro, but wouldn’t say whether they had reached an agreement or if Pedro had a physical scheduled.

4:49pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Phils are in “pretty serious talks” with Pedro, but doesn’t confirm the report below.

4:15pm: Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. declined to comment on a report saying the Phillies signed Pedro Martinez, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. The report from CandelaDeportiva.com says Pedro signed for $4MM after showing off a fastball between 88 and 91 mph and good secondary pitches.

Roy Halladay Rumors: Prospect Update

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The Blue Jays want top talent in exchange for Roy Halladay, but we heard yesterday that the Phillies have some untouchable players, perhaps Kyle Drabek. Here's what the Cards and Mets are saying about their top prospects:

  • Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch confirms that John Mozeliak will call the Blue Jays, but suggests some in the organization would not consider dealing Brett Wallace, who the Jays wanted in last year's draft. Baseball America ranks Wallace as the 21st best prospect in baseball and the Cards' only prospect in the top 50.
  • Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Mets want to keep Jennry Mejia, Brad Holt and Ike Davis. Along with Fernando Martinez, Mejia and Holt are considered their best prospects, so it's hard to envision a Halladay deal without them.
  • Three Phillies prospects join Drabek in BA's top 50: Dominic Brown (17), Michael Taylor (23), and Jason Knapp.
  • The Rangers and Giants each have three prospects in the top 50; the Red Sox and Yankees each have a pair.

Roy Halladay Rumors: Thursday

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All of this morning's Roy Halladay rumors:

Amaro: Phils Have Flexibility To Add An Ace

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Everyone else says the Phillies are frontrunners for Roy Halladay, but what about the Phillies themselves? GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that he has "flexibility" to add a stud pitcher. Though Amaro Jr. spoke only in general terms, the conversation was largely about Halladay. 

The Phillies say they won't part with all their prospects, even to acquire the ace the covet. Amaro Jr. said some of his players are untouchable even for the best player in baseball. Jason Knapp and Dominic Brown could be untouchables. As Scott Lauber reports, Charlie Manuel listed Kyle Drabek as an untouchable.

Heyman On Halladay, Davis, Holliday

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Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Jays aren't likely to deal Roy Halladay within the AL East and will likely seek premium bats and shortstops in possible deals, since Marco Scutaro becomes a free agent after the season. Heyman hears that Halladay would likely be open to playing for most contenders. Here are some details and more rumors:

  • The Jays had interest in Phillies shortstop prospect Jason Donald last year.
  • Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi won't publicly rule out any destinations, but it would be much more bearable for the Jays and their fans to see Halladay pitching in the NL, or at least outside the AL East. 
  • Heyman wonders if the Giants could have interest. Imagine a rotation with four Cy Young Award winners plus Matt Cain. However, the Giants say they're looking for offense.  
  • One White Sox official says the team wouldn't have traded Gordon Beckham straight up for Jake Peavy, but they would likely have to consider dealing Beckham if they want Halladay.
  • Heyman hears the Cardinals may not have the prospects to acquire Halladay. Brett Wallace and Jess Todd would presumably interest the Jays.
  • Could the A's simply hold onto Matt Holliday and collect draft choices? They'd have to risk paying him $15MM or so in arbitration next year to do so and Heyman thinks it's a possibility.  
  • The D'Backs don't think they're hearing good enough offers for Doug Davis.  

Phils Are Early Favorites For Halladay

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One source told Ed Price of MLB Fanhouse that "the Phillies are leaders at this point" in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes. However, that doesn't mean the Jays ace will be dealt. As another source points out, J.P. Ricciardi is not in a hurry to trade Halladay, so there's an equal chance he stays in Toronto.

And the haul Halladay could bring? The Erik Bedard trade (Adam Jones, George Sherrill and others) and the Dan Haren trade (Carlos Gonzalez, Brett Anderson and others) could be benchmarks.

Jon Heyman of SI.com heard from an executive who believes the Jays would hesitate to deal Halladay within their own division. Does that make the Phillies favorites?

The executives who spoke with Joel Sherman of the New York Post believe the Phillies are the frontrunners for Halladay. The Phillies want to win now and they think Halladay's ground ball-based approach would thrive in their homer-friendly park. 

Sherman also heard the Rangers and Cardinals could make strong plays for Halladay. The Rangers are borrowing money from MLB, but some believe they could spend enough to make a push for the Blue Jays' ace, who has about $23MM remaining on his current deal. Texas has many appealing pieces to offer. However, we heard last week that they have "limited" ability to add payroll.

Roy Halladay Rumors: Wednesday

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One of baseball's most talented and dependable pitchers is available for the right combination of talent. Here's a collection of Roy Halladay-themed rumors and thoughts from around the league:

  • It's doubtful that the Jays would trade Halladay within the AL East and the Yankees wouldn't be likely to part with enough pieces to acquire him, a source told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. 
  • Seems to me that it's in the Jays' best interest to have many bidders involved, especially their AL East rivals, if only to boost the asking price for other clubs.
  • Feinsand suggests Yankees fans should give up on acquiring the Jays ace and just hope he's dealt to the NL.
  • Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times says the Angels have known for weeks that the Jays would listen on Halladay.
  • One Phillies person told Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer the team's serious about pursuing Halladay. 
  • One scout told Salisbury Halladay's the best pitcher in baseball, good enough to win 27 games in the NL. Another scout expects Doc to end up with the Red Sox or Angels.
  • Scott Lauber of the News Journal believes Ruben Amaro Jr. needs to strike a deal for Halladay. 
  • When his contract expires after 2010 Halladay will want to play for a winner, whether in Toronto or elsewhere, according to Mike Rutsey of the Toronto Sun.
  • MLB.com's Ken Gurnick doesn't expect the Dodgers to acquire Halladay.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes the Jays missed their chance to deal Halladay last year, when money flowed more freely and before teams clung onto their prospects as tightly.
  • Yahoo's Gordon Edes agrees, as attendance is down this year, but says teams like the Yankees could always jump in with a bid.
  • A friend of Halladay's told Jon Heyman of SI.com that Doc would likely approve trades to Boston, New York or Philadelphia.
  • Pete Abraham of the Journal News says J.P. Ricciardi played it "exactly right" yesterday, building hype about Halladay by telling everyone he could be available.
 

More Halladay Chatter

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GMs' phones must be ringing off the hook tonight, and most of the incoming calls are probably from your friendly neighborhood baseball beat writer. Let's scope out the latest news from Buster Olney:

  • Olney has updated his previous post on the news, and gets word that Halladay might be open to waiving his no-trade clause.
  • Olney goes on to say that since Halladay would depart after 2010 as a likely Type A, he will command two high draft choices. Thus, all trade offers would have to begin with such talent.
  • Angels manager Mike Scioscia says GM Tony Reagins has talked to Toronto about Doc.
  • Olney runs through more suitors: the Red Sox, who have "stubbornly clung to their young pitching," the Mets and Cubs, who may or may not have the proper package of prospects, Yankees, and the Phillies.

In other news around the beat:

Phillies Downplaying Pedro Interest?

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Jayson Stark at ESPN says the Phillies are "exploring all possibilities" to shore up their rotation, and one of those possibilities has been Pedro Martinez, who they saw throw today. While manager Charlie Manuel didn't seem to indicate Pedro was the answer to the team's issues, a major-league source told Stark that "If [Pedro] throws well, they'll do something."

The source, based in the Dominican Republic, goes on to say that the Phillies have already notified Martinez that they likely won't reach his demands of a $5MM prorated salary. Instead, they're shooting for an incentive-laden deal of some kind. Keep up with the latest Pedro rumors here.

Halladay Season: Link Round-Up

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The baseball realm is a-twitter with the news that the Blue Jays will listen to offers on Roy Halladay. Let's run down the latest bullet points on this front:

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