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Cardinals Have “Real” Interest In Halladay

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According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals' interest in Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay is very real.

Here's what Strauss tweeted just a moment ago:  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."

A deal with the Cardinals would start with Brett Wallace, and might also include shortstop Pete Kozma, catcher Bryan Anderson, outfielder Daryl Jones and/or right-hander Clay Mortensen.  We're just throwing the Birds' top prospects out on the table, but that's what it's going to take.  According to Erik Manning of FutureRedbirds.net, via the Post-Dispatch's Bernie Miklasz, the Jays "showed a lot of pre-draft interest" in both Wallace and Kozma.

The Rangers And Roy Halladay

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According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, the Roy Halladay trade talks have reached the Rangers' clubhouse.  The club in Texas has quite a few financial hurdles stemming from owner Tom Hicks' money issues, but that hasn't calmed the players' excitement at the possibility of landing the Toronto ace.

"I'd love to have him here," outfielder Marlon Byrd said Wednesday. "I don't know what price it would take to get him, but I'd love to have him.  We're a contender.  Hopefully we're on his list."

"You always want people who you feel could help the ballclub," outfielder Josh Hamilton added. "It's not my decision to make, so I don't know. But I want whatever would help this ballclub win games and get to the postseason. I'll leave that decision up to the front office."

As for the front office?  "We're going to look to improve the club every way we can," general manager Jon Daniels told Sullivan.  "I'll leave it at that."

It seems like a real long shot, unless the Rangers can dump salary. With Hicks looking to sell the team, it's hard to see how they could have $7MM available this season and $15.75MM open in 2010.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Atkins, Rolen, Rios, Davis

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FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal has a fresh column up.  Let's dive in and explore some of the juicier details…

  • The Red Sox and Rockies have discussed a Garrett Atkins swap, but "both teams continue to explore other options."  It sounds like Boston may have sent the Rox a feeler, trying to gauge the third baseman's price tag.
  • Along with ace Roy Halladay, the Blue Jays are also taking offers for outfielder Alex Rios and third baseman Scott Rolen.  They both carry hefty contracts, however, so deals could be tricky.
  • The Diamondbacks are seeking first-to-second round talent for Doug Davis, "which is what they will receive if they offer him arbitration and he departs as a free agent," notes Rosenthal.  The Brewers have shown mild interest.
  • The Rockies currently consider Ryan Spilborghs, who's hitting .351 in the month of July, too valuable to trade.

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.

Sherman: Yankees Won’t Trade For Halladay

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Yankees officials told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that there's zero chance they trade for Roy Halladay, for the same reasons they didn't deal for Johan Santana. The cost in terms of both salary and prospects is too high.

The news is a minor blow for the Blue Jays, who could have used the Yankees' interest to drive up Halladay's price, even if they had no intention of dealing their ace within the division.

Odds And Ends: Atkins, Ryan, Halladay

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More links for the afternoon…

Blue Jays Release B.J. Ryan

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The Blue Jays have released B.J. Ryan, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. The 33-year-old lefty signed a five year $47MM deal with the Jays before the 2006 season that was, at the time, the largest deal ever for a reliever. The contract expires after 2010, but the Jays still owe Ryan about $15MM. 

Ryan dominated in 2006, striking out more than four times as many as he walked and allowing 30 fewer hits than innings pitched. However, he's been a major disappointment since missing 2007 with Tommy John surgery. He was effective last year, but has struggled in 2009, walking 7.4 batters per nine with a career-low strikeout rate and more hits allowed than innings pitched.

Odds And Ends: Red Sox, Strasburg, Halladay

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Links for Wednesday afternoon…

  • WEEI.com's Alex Speier reports that the Red Sox signed two international players named Alcantara to six-figure bonuses, but they are unrelated and neither one is related to former Red Sox player Izzy Alcantara. Mario Alcantara and Raul Alcantara are both right-handed pitchers.
  • The Baltimore Sun reports that the Red Sox signed Johns Hopkins graduate Chez Angeloni as a free agent.
  • Keith Law tells Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker that Stephen Strasburg has more upside than Yu Darvish, though Darvish has faced better competition.
  • Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe asks Red Sox fans to slow down on the Roy Halladay talk, because Theo Epstein has given no indication that the Red Sox are interested.
  • Jorge Says No! suggests the Jays should ask teams to take on a bad contract in any Halladay deal. They have a few overpaid players to choose from, especially Vernon Wells and B.J. Ryan.
  • I'll be on ESPN Radio in Madison at 3:40 CST talking trades on The Big 1070. Also, check out my chat with the Benchwarmers on 590 KFNS from last night. 

Ricciardi On Halladay

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Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that he won't provide teams with a window to negotiate a contract extension with Roy Halladay in the event that the Jays deal their ace. Ricciardi made a variety of points about potential trades:

  • The Jays have only had preliminary talks with other teams and they're still trying to decide which teams to assign their scouts to.
  • The Jays would like a shortstop, but they'll pursure the best prospects available.  
  • The team would have no trouble paying Halladay in 2010.  
  • Halladay did not ask the Jays to move him.
  • Halladay provided a long list of places he wouldn't play, but Ricciardi didn't name any teams.  
  • The Jays value Halladay as a top player in the game so Ricciardi has a gut feeling he'll keep his ace this summer.

Ricciardi says it's unlikely the Jays will keep Halladay after his current deal expires:

"We have kept him from free agency twice and I don't think we have the resources to keep him from free agency a third time." 

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.

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