“I think at this point I feel I’m going to be here”
Those words came straight from the Doctor’s mouth; and when the Doctor says something, he means it. And you know what? I believe him.
Roy Halladay doesn’t have any reason to play any games or give the answers that everybody wants to hear. He’s never been like that – he’s a straight shooter all the way. So it was comforting to hear during the post-game press conference that Halladay believes a deal will not be made by the trade deadline.
It certainly wasn’t the doom and gloom like we’ve heard from J.P. Ricciardi over the past few days. Judging by how he reacted during the press conference, Halladay seems to genuinely be interested in staying in Toronto. There has been so much hearsay over the course of the last two weeks that the only people’s words I’m taking seriously are Roy Halladay’s and Paul Beeston’s.
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As the mouthpiece of the Toronto Blue Jays, part of Ricciardi’s job is to let the public and the fans know about what’s going on with the team. But he’s flip-flopped so many times this week that it’s hard to take him seriously. At this point, I will use my own judgment to determine whether or not I think Roy Halladay will be traded before July 28th.
Roy even said himself that he’d like to see what’s going to happen in Toronto. Was that his subtle way of saying that he wants Rogers to open up the purse strings and really spend some money in 2010? That’s fine by me – if the Cardinals bring in players to appease Albert Pujols to keep him in St. Louis then the Blue Jays can certainly do the same for Roy Halladay.
Prior to tonight’s start against the Tampa Bay Rays, I was hopeful that Halladay would still be a Blue Jay by the end of next week. Now that the game is all said and done, I’m actually more confident that Doc will be here until the end of the season.
See? Roy Halladay would never lead us astray. Always trust Doc.
I'd feel more confident with all this if there was an equal likelihood that Doc would say "I think … I feel … I'm on my way out of here." But I just don't think he'd say that, even if he truly THOUGHT that he FELT that way.
I mean, I love Doc, but do you recall the musings of the great AJ one year ago — he also seemed a bit reluctant to say "I'm going where the money is, people, get over it!" Different guy, but same reasons to believe that the words are being said to fit the situation, not because they are the most accurate take on reality.
Sorry, just spouting my on-going uncertainty during uncertain times.
I don't know why, but I trust Doc a hell of a lot more than I trust A.J.
Burnett has always tested the free agent market and been out to get as much money as possible. Halladay on the other hand has taken less money on two occasions to stay with the Jays.
Don't worry, July 28th will get here soon enough and we'll find out what happens either way!
I definitely trust the Doc. I know that he won't be going to the highest bidder but he's going to the team that has the best chance of winning. If the Jays produce a winning team next season, I can see Doc signing an extension but it'll be tough to be competitive in our division without spending some cash.
With that said, the only thing I would hate seeing more than Doc leaving, would be Doc leaving due to free agency.
You nailed it, Leafs Fan – the Yankees could throw hundreds of millions of dollars at Halladay but he might not go because he thinks he might have a shot with a team in the NL Central. If the Jays want to sign Halladay to an extension, they will have to make some big offseason signings to show Roy that they are committed to winning in 2010 and beyond.