Roy Halladay Sweepstakes, Part Three: Long-Shots and a Contender Ready To Pounce

The surprise contenders for the AL West were tossed around early on as a plausible destination for Halladay when Toronto first broke the news that they were open to trading him for the right deal. Many close to Halladay have speculated that he would be unlikely to approve a deal to the hitter-friendly Ballpark in Arlington, but there can’t be a trade clause waiver until a deal is agreed upon in the first place, so we’ll still count Texas as in the discussion.

The Rangers seemingly always need pitching and have a plethora of young talent available for trade, especially pitching. I’ll be the first to say I don’t think the Rangers should trade for Halladay if it involves trading any of their top five pitching prospects, all of which have frontline potential. Of course, those are the first players Toronto is likely to ask for in a deal.

Right-handers Neftali Perez, Michael Main, and Blake Beavan are all aggressive high-velocity hurlers with tons of upside. Southpaws Kasey Kiker, Matt Harrison, and Derek Holland offer much of the same from the left side, though Holland is more of a finesse pitcher than Kiker.

Factor in young starter Josh Feldman, who has been impressive in his first full season in the rotation and former White Sox top prospect Brandon McCarthy, and the Rangers have a full stable of top notch arms. All of them should be ready for the majors by either 2010 or 2011 at the latest and that’s why I would argue against the Rangers trading any of them for Halladay now.

Positionally, shortstop Elvis Andrus has become one of the game’s best young shortstops in his first full year, and catchers Taylor Teagarden and Jarrod Saltalamacchia are both MLB-caliber backstops.

Last year’s first rounder Justin Smoak draws comparisons to former Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira as a switch hitter, and outfielder Julio Borbon recently made his MLB debut.

The Rangers have one of the best farm systems in the league and have some exciting players and seasons to look forward to. It would be a shame to break up such a talented group of players but for the chance to make the playoffs.

Trade Proposal: A combination of Teagarden, Borbon, and any of those minor league pitchers should be more than enough to make the Blue Jays salivate and seriously consider trying to convince Halladay the Texas heat isn’t all that bad, but in the end I think Rangers management does the right thing for the franchise’s future and stays out of the trade talks.

 

Chicago White Sox

Some have included the ChiSox on the short list of favorites for Halladay, but I personally don’t see it that way (Of course, if he gets traded there I’ll quickly eat my words). Typically having one of the weaker farm systems in recent years, the White Sox would have to jettison what few valuable pieces they have left to acquire the ace’s services.

There’s no denying that Halladay would be an absolutely huge addition for the White Sox, who currently trot out the likes of Jose Contreras every fifth day. Pairing Halladay with Mark Buerhle would provide that one-two combo every team strives for, but it doesn’t seem feasible given the White Sox’s mediocre farm system.

The White Sox only have four young pitchers, in my opinion, worth acquiring in a package for Halladay. John Danks and Gavin Floyd, two of the better options already in the White Sox rotation, are younger and cheaper options over the next several years than Halladay would be.

Aaron Poreda and Clayton Richard, two prospects who have debuted in the majors this year, are good but not on the same level as some other top tier prospects other clubs are likely to be offering for the Toronto ace.

With Alexei Ramirez and especially Gordon Beckham labeled as untouchable, the positional talent isn’t much to speak of either. Jordan Danks and John Shelby are toolsy outfielders and Cole Armstrong is a great defensive catcher but again, they simply don’t match up against other team's prospects.

Trade Proposal: For this to work, the White Sox would have to trade a minimum of two pitchers not to mention, an additional prospect, and maybe a bullpen arm.

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