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The Asking Price For Doc Halladay

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Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi told Jon Heyman of SI.com on Saturday that his club isn't actively shopping Roy Halladay and would need a "boatload" in return if a deal was made.

"I don't think we're in the market to do that at his point," said Ricciardi.  "We like our team next year with Halladay. … If we ever did get to that point, we'd want a boatlad.  And I don't know whether anyone would offer a boatload.  But obviously, we're not at that point."

The Jays are off to a franchise record 17-9 start and aren't likely to be sellers if they can keep up the pace.  But you can be sure Ricciardi will be fielding phone calls either way.

Odds And Ends: Yankees, Pedro, Mets

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Links for Saturday morning…

Odds & Ends: Glavine, Thorman, Sheffield

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Links for Tuesday…

2010 Options: Toronto Blue Jays

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The Blue Jays do not have to decide on any club options after the 2009 season.  They do, however, have many veterans with contracts ending after the 2010 season.  Let's take a look at those signed through next season:

  • J.P. Ricciardi.  Contracts don't typically stop teams from firing GMs when they feel it's necessary, so it won't matter that Ricciardi is signed through 2010.  Manager Cito Gaston is also signed through next year.
  • Scott Rolen – $11MM.  Rolen receives an additional $4MM bonus in 2010, but the Cardinals are paying it.  Rolen is off to a nice .319/.377/.435 start in 77 plate appearances this year.
  • Roy Halladay – $15.75MM.  Ricciardi told ESPN's Jayson Stark he wants to discuss an extension with Halladay at the end of the year.
  • B.J. Ryan – $10MM.  Ryan hit the DL last week after a rough start to the year.  He'll need to turn it around if the Jays are to move his contract.
  • Lyle Overbay – $7MM.  Overbay has been incredible so far in 2009 – .289/.458/.578 in 59 plate appearances.  Perhaps the last year of his deal will be seen as a bargain.
  • Scott Downs – $4MM.  I wasn't thrilled with the Downs extension in January of 2008, but he's proven his '07 breakout was no fluke.  Downs may represent a cheap, excellent closer for Toronto this year and in 2010.

Stark’s Latest: Halladay, Vlad, Magglio

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Jayson Stark's most recent column over at ESPN.com is absolutely chock-full of rumors and information…

  • Marlins president David Samson doesn't anticipate the Marlins ever implementing a fire sale again.  "We've put ourselves in a position, with salaries and the performance we're getting from players at a young age, that we don't have to do that anymore," said Samson.  The new stadium should help with attendance, which should in turn help with payroll.
  • Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi doesn't see his club trading Roy Halladay this season.  "I still don't see us doing it," said Ricciardi.  "I know ownership doesn't want to do it.  And I don't think, in my gut, that Doc really wants to be anywhere else."
  • Some MLB officials believe Vladimir Guerrero's recent pectoral injury could severely affect his free agent value this offseason.  "He could be a $1 million player in a year, with $4 million in incentives," said an unnamed official of one team.  "He's a tough guy to commit to."
  • Pedro Martinez continues to demand a $5 million paycheck.  It's doubtful any team, no matter how desperate, would commit to that price.
  • Some folks in the baseball world think Magglio Ordonez might be made available near the trade deadline.  Magglio has vesting options for 2010 and 2011, however, which could complicate a potential deal.
  • Teams are also tracking a few other Tigers players, including Carlos Guillen and Placido Polanco.

Halladay Situation Looms Over Blue Jays

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We talked about Jake Peavy, so we might as well bring up Roy Halladay too.  Which would you rather have? 

In the Globe and Mail today, Jeff Blair says Halladay's future is the 2009 storyline for the Blue Jays.  Halladay is signed through 2010, and GM J.P. Ricciardi has been all over the map in his comments about trading his ace.  At the least, the situation seems similar to Peavy in that the GM is not thinking about making a trade right now.

As for the possibility of an extension, Halladay said he'd prefer to wait until the offseason but added, "circumstances can change."  Halladay commented to the Toronto Star about the trade talk:

"For me, I just feel like it's a different situation.  I'm still under contract for two years and unless you force something, create a big stir, it's not even an option for me. I feel like I'm still happy here. I feel like I have a chance to win here and that would be my ultimate goal, to win a World Series here, more than anywhere else."

Heyman On Peavy, Tigers, Cliff Lee

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The latest from SI.com's Jon Heyman…

  • Heyman lists 30 breakout candidates for 2009, headed by Paul Maholm of the Pirates.
  • Padres GM Kevin Towers had this to say regarding trading Jake Peavy midseason: "If we start spinning our wheels, we might engage in discussions."  ESPN's Buster Olney also wrote about Peavy this morning, noting that the Cubs were "much closer than anybody realized at the time" to acquiring Peavy this winter.  Towers gave Olney a similar quote about Peavy – he doesn't want to think about it right now but if the team is out of contention it's possible.
  • Heyman names the Tigers and Blue Jays as teams that may look to dump salary this summer.  He speculates on names such as Jeremy Bonderman, Brandon Inge, Carlos Guillen, Magglio Ordonez, Roy Halladay, Vernon Wells, and Scott Rolen.
  • Cliff Lee is a tricky case for an extension, but the Indians told his agent Darek Braunecker they'd let him throw out a bid.  Braunecker didn't bite, and negotiations are not expected to take place during the season.  You have to wonder if Lee will be traded next winter or at the 2010 trade deadline.

Tigers Release Gary Sheffield

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7:36pm: MLB.com's Joe Frisaro says Sheffield has interest in the Marlins, but Frisaro believes Geoff Jenkins would be a better fit.

5:12pm: Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer learned from a team source that the chances of the Phillies signing Sheffield are "very slim."  Martino did learn from Sheffield's agent Rufus Williams that a part-time role is not off the table for his client.

SI.com's Jon Heyman looks at the situation, and has a hard time finding a match for Sheffield.

2:49pm: Zolecki learned from Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. that the team did contact Sheffield's agent.  The Reds haven't discussed it, says Walt Jocketty.

1:15pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Rangers and Blue Jays will pass on Sheffield.  In talking to J.P. Ricciardi, Jeff Blair confirms the Jays' lack of interest.

9:15am: More from Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press.  He says this isn't even a club record – the Tigers ate $14.3MM on Damion Easley back in '03.  Morosi says Sheffield said "it ain't close" to the end of his career, and he has a preference for the Rays.

MLB.com's Todd Zolecki wonders whether the Phillies could be a fit for Sheffield.

8:41am: According to Tom Gage of the Detroit News, the Tigers released DH Gary Sheffield.  They'll eat the $14MM owed to him for '09.  It's quite surprising to see the team assume all that money to make him go away, especially since he's healthy right now.  Plus he's just one home run shy of 500 for his career.

Let the speculation begin on where Sheff will end up.  Obviously his options will open up if he can play the outfield.  To kick off the discussion…would the Blue Jays make sense? 

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