Os Will Have To Play Their Hand Perfectly To Land Ace Roy Halladay

With only a year and half remaining on his current contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, the team has decided to shop Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Roy Halladay in an effort to take the franchise in another direction (which would be down) knowing they cannot afford to re-sign at the end of the 2010 season.

Halladay, perhaps one of the top-five pitchers in the game over the last seven seasons, is a franchise difference maker to whoever is willing to pay the steep price to acquire is services.  Acquiring Halladay from the Blue Jays will more than likely deplete any interested club’s minor league system of their future stars.

Chances are Halladay would reject a trade to the non-contending Orioles if they were even entertaining the idea of trading him to a divisional foe.

So, why even discuss the possibility of Halladay becoming an Oriole if the scenario surrounding the thought is minute?     

Because the goal in professional sports is to win!  Although making money is important, success on the field and pride are also meaningful to millionaire owners who succeeded in life by taking chances and going for the jugular.

The Baltimore Orioles, a once proud mid-market major league team, are on the verge of suffering their 12^th consecutive losing season under the ownership of Peter Angelos. 

During a two-decade span from the 1960s to the mid-1980s, 90-win seasons and beating the Yankees and Red Sox was the norm. 

Under Angelos, the Orioles are about one thing, making money.  For most clubs, putting a winning product on the field translates to increased revenue.  From increased tickets sales to parking fees to merchandise, winning breeds financial success.

However, this is not your typical owner.  Angelos, who made his fortune settling asbestos lawsuits, lost the battle in preventing the MLB from moving the Montreal Expos to Washington, D.C., and reducing the O's fan base.

But, he won the war, working out a television deal to create a baseball network that included both the O’s and the Nationals. (There is more involved, but you get the picture.) 

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