Halladay To Phillies? Baseball Trade Rumblings As Deadline Nears

Speaking with the Boston Globe, Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner said General Manager Theo Epstein is “burning the midnight oil” trying to make a big impact trade before the trade deadline. Boston has struggled offensively since the All-Star Break, unable to find production from top to bottom, so Epstein has reason to worry and be aggressive.

Right-fielder J.D. Drew and designated hitter David Ortiz have struggled this season, third-baseman Mike Lowell is injured, and Jason Bay has been woeful of late. According to reports, the team is prepared to make “a huge deal,” so they clearly aren’t satisfied with their current makeup.

Boston has expressed interest in San Diego Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.

Given his talent, he would presumably add a boost, but the Red Sox would be taking a lot of risks. First, who knows how his game would translate to the American League. Second, who knows if a mid-season trade of this magnitude, especially involving some of Boston’s top prospects, would pay dividends in two months time. Third and finally, he isn’t necessarily a necessity, and I think–or hope–that they can make due solely with their acquisition of first baseman Adam LaRoche.

Nonetheless, it seems the Red Sox are desperate.

This means that, if any bid to pry Gonzalez away from San Diego fails, they will continue to target Cleveland Indians catcher/first-baseman Victor Martinez. He hits for both power and average and can move Kevin Youkilis over to his natural position of third base as well as give catcher Jason Varitek a day off behind the plate or supplant him altogether, but like Gonzalez, he isn’t young, would cost some prospects like starting pitcher Clay Buchholz, whom Epstein is enamored with, and could disrupt the team’s chemistry.

More on the trade rumor front: Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, one of the best pitchers in the game, was officially made available a few weeks ago and has had significant interest.

General Manager J.P. Ricciardi, knowing his team is out of contention in the American League East and that Halladay’s value will never be higher, is looking to rebuild. His price is high, which has scared off many contending teams such as the Red Sox and New York Yankees, two division foes.

Still, there are many teams salivating over the possibility of Halladay donning their uniform. The defending World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies have expressed the most interest in the 32-year-old, but in order to acquire him, they would have to give up at least three of their top young players. J.A. Happ, who has seven wins this year with the Phillies, tops the Blue Jays wish list. Philadelphia has said they would include Happ, but not along with top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek and top hitting prospect Dominic Brown.

They proposed a deal that would send Happ, right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco, their second-ranked prospect, outfielder Michael Taylor, their sixth-ranked prospect, and shortstop Jason Donald, their fourth-ranked prospect. For some reason, the Phillies were willing to give up their best young pitcher and three of their top-six prospects for Halladay, and, for some reason, the Blue Jays rejected it.

So, the two sides are at a stalemate.

The Blue Jays have no choice but to trade him, so they will have no choice but to lower their demands and give in to a deal full of talent, which is the best deal they will recieve. Why would the Phillies be willing to give up so much for Halladay?

Well, even though they lead the National League East by a convincing seven games and have a very potent offense, their pitching has struggled this season. Cole Hamels has been uncharacteristically poor, with just six wins and a 4.66 ERA, while 46-year old Jamie Moyer leads the team with ten wins, but has a 5.32 ERA. Joe Blanton and Happ have been the only consistent starting pitchers in a rotation that doesn’t have depth.

They have used nine different starting pitchers, and five to try and patch together the back end of the rotation, but neither pitcher has succeeded, as each boast ERA’s higher than Moyer’s. So, Halladay would give them a dependable ace they have lacked this season, barring his game translates to the National League, but the Phillies would be wiser to target the Cleveland Indians ace Cliff Lee or Seattle Mariners ace Jarrod Washburn because they would demand less in return and could fill the same need.

Gordon Edes of Yahoo Sports heard that the Red Sox could offer Buchholz, reliever Daniel Bard, and possibly just one in a group of prospects consisting of Michael Bowden, Junichi Tazawa, and Casey Kelly. But, like in the case of Gonzalez and Martinez, they won’t be willing to “give up the farm” for Halladay, something the Phillies aren’t so reluctant to do.