For years now, Roy Halladay has been the face of a struggling franchise, a model of consistency for a team that defines inconsistency. With the team struggling to remain at .500 this year, the trade rumors surrounding Halladay have begun to heat up.
The common reasoning for the benefits of dealing the Doc are the huge return he could bring—major league-ready youngsters, top prospects, draft picks, who knows?
That being said, is this team really in the right position to trade the face of the franchise? Granted, they have struggled this year, but there is still a solid core in place moving forward.
With Burnett on borrowed time in Toronto, there will be an extra $12 million or so for the budget next year. Remove A.J. and the Jays still have one of the best pitching staffs in the majors.
More importantly, there are many younger guys who are contributing—guys like McGowan, Marcum, Litsch, Accardo, and League who will likely be ready for bigger roles by this time next year.
Regardless, Doc is the leader of this staff and the clubhouse. He's one in a million and an important part of the Jays' developing staff. Thanks to Halladay, pitching has not been a concern for the Jays over recent years.
Hitting, however, has been.
No matter how much you may like David Eckstein, he is NOT what you are looking for when filling out the DH position. The hole Frank Thomas left at DH has proved impossible to fill so far this year.
Sure, Halladay may be able to bring in a young hitter to fill the role of DH and help out with RISP. However, the hole he would undoubtedly leave in the rotation could not be filled.
The 2008 Blue Jays have underachieved this year, but they are not as bad as their record shows. In almost every hitting category as a team, the Blue Jays are comparable to the L.A. Angels (a playoff-bound team). However, bad luck, injuries and inconsistency have cost them a great number of games.
As much as some in the media want to make it look like Doc wants out of Toronto, it is clear he does not.
"As long as it's up to me, I'm staying," he said. "I've always said right from the beginning I'd much rather (win the World Series) in Toronto than anywhere else. And honestly, it's something I haven't even contemplated yet. I still have two years left, and I want to win those next two years, and at that point we'll decide from there what happens next."
That sounds more like a competitive leader sick of losing—and can you blame him? Halladay has done everything he can for this franchise—he's given it all he's got, and yet the team has been unable to get over the hump.
The Jays are close, and it seems they would be better off building around a guy who is one of the league's best, and more importantly, who wants to be there. This isn't A.J. Burnett. We aren't talking about an inconsistent starter who wants out of his contract. Halladay is one of the league's best and wants to win in Toronto.
Why not send a more positive message to your team and fan base by locking this guy up long term? Suppose A.J. leaves town and Doc gets traded. What kind of message does that send to the fan base, the team, and potential free agent targets? Not a good one, that's for sure.
The answer to getting this franchise over the hump may be much more simple than it seems. With key guys like Rios, Wells, and Hill locked up long term, Halladay should be next on the list. With the money saved on Burnett's contract, the team should be looking to add a big bat this summer.
The building blocks are in place to be a contender right away. Trading Roy Halladay is basically sawing a leg off a dining room table—it's not going to stay standing for long.
The Jays are too close to rebuild. All it would likely take is another impact bat—and trading your heart and soul to get it doesn't seem like the answer.
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