Phillies still hoping for Halladay
Four days away from the trading deadline, and a day before the drop-dead date set by Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi, Toronto ace Roy Halladay(notes) is in Seattle, still on track to make his next start Wednesday.
Just as important, the man who may ultimately make the decision on whether Halladay stays or goes, team president Paul Beeston, was expected back in his Toronto office Monday after a weekend in Cooperstown, N.Y., at the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. Ricciardi also did not accompany the team on its trip west.
The Philadelphia Phillies still believe they have the best offer on the table, a package that included highly regarded rookie pitcher J.A. Happ(notes) but not top prospect Kyle Drabek. The Phillies also offered Triple-A pitcher Carlos Carrasco(notes), outfield prospect Michael Taylor and shortstop Jason Donald(notes), but so far, Toronto is insisting that Drabek and Happ both be sent north.
The one team the Phillies fear could trump their offer, according to a team source Monday, is Boston. The Red Sox potentially could offer a package featuring pitchers Clay Buchholz(notes) and reliever Daniel Bard(notes) from the big-league roster, and a menu of attractive prospects, including pitchers Michael Bowden(notes), Junichi Tazawa(notes) on the Triple-A level and 19-year-olds Casey Kelly and Stolmy Pimentel. The Blue Jays have told the Red Sox and the Yankees they would have to pay a premium – an extra player – for Toronto to trade Halladay within the division.
The Red Sox are also looking for a bat – Cleveland's Victor Martinez(notes) and San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez(notes) are their preferred targets – but according to one club source "are not going to give up the farm" in any deal.
