Dissecting the Halladay Trade Talk

It’s something that no Blue Jay fan wants to envision, but with all this trade talk lately it’s all I can think about. There is a possibility that Roy Halladay could be traded, and frankly it’s breaking my heart.

Technically, Halladay’s contract with the Blue Jays doesn’t run out until the end of the 2010 season. Although it would be disappointing to see Doc leave Toronto next year, I certainly wasn’t prepared to see him in a different uniform any time soon.

In a perfect world, Roy Halladay would be a Blue Jay for life and he would win another couple of Cy Youngs and a World Series ring. Unfortunately, none of that is guaranteed so Doc might think that his chances to accomplish those things are better with another team. I don’t blame him for wanting to play for a contender, but I honestly think that next year’s Blue Jays squad will restore some of the faith that has been last over the past few years.

As rewarding as it would be for Roy Halladay to win a championship, I think he would much rather stay in Toronto and continue to build a great pitching staff around him. On several occasions, he has taken less money to stay with the Blue Jays, so obviously Halladay sees something in this organization that he really loves.

It’s apparent that Halladay doesn’t want to create an awkward situation by refusing to waive his no trade clause, so in the best interest of the team he is at least open to the idea of being traded. That really goes to show you what kind of a player and person Roy Halladay he is – he is willing to do whatever it takes to better the Blue Jays, even if he doesn’t play for them anymore.

At 32 years old and in the middle of his eleventh season in the big leagues, Roy isn’t getting any younger … but like a fine wine, Halladay is getting better with age. He hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down and is one of the most versatile and dependable pitchers in the league. Any offer that the Blue Jays would be willing to offer Halladay would take precedence over any temptations he might receive on the free agent market. If Rogers and the Blue Jays want to keep Halladay around, they better be ready to free up about $20 million dollars a year to keep him around.

There have been so many ups and downs these past few years, but there has been solace in the fact that Roy Halladay has been one of the constants in the Blue Jays organization. As a fan, it’s been a pleasure to watch him work his magic on the hill every five starts – so I don’t know what the hell I’d do if I didn’t have that to look forward to. Baseball would still go on in Toronto, but I’m afraid that my heart might not.