Is dealing Halladay a good idea?

By Paul Bruno

You can look at this situation, from two different viewpoints.

On the one hand, he is clearly one of the elite pitchers in the game. Every fifth day there is an anticipation of something potentially very special happening on his game days. It has been well-documented that his career winning percentage, among pitchers with at least 100 decisions, ranks in the top ten for all-time hurlers, with his .675 mark. No current pitcher comes close to his record over the last eight years (123-51). This record is even more spectacular when you consider that he works for a team that has not even made the post-season once during that span. 

So, clearly, he is the most important and most high-profile player on the Blue Jays. His success is an excellent example for the rest of the current pitching staff. Just observing him and having the chance to work alongside him should benefit the stream of talented young arms the Jays have trotted out this season. His growing profile, around the Majors, should also be an asset when looking at attracting future free agents to Toronto.

On the flip side, the Jays have seen what other teams have been able to do, in trading their top players for multi-player packages. Look at the deal that sent Eric Bedard to Seattle. Baltimore received five players in return and have bolstered themselves at a few different positions. The Jays will no doubt see a serious bidding war for Halladay’s services and may well be presented with some attractive packages of compensation in exchange for their staff ace.

Doubtless, even the thought of potentially trading Halladay will upset many Jays’ fans. But, we have to be realistic here.

First of all, he has a year and a half remaining on his contract right now. The Jays cannot expect to win back his rights if he becomes a free agent. Too many other free-spending clubs (Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Dodgers) will outbid them. Second, he is never going to be a more marketable commodity than he is right now, in terms of trade bait. Third, how many times have the Jays made the playoffs during Halladay’s career as a Blue Jay?

These points all converge on the likelihood that the Jays may ultimately be better off in dealing Halladay by July 31.

Still, that is a bitter pill for Jays’ fans. Time will tell.

Tags: roy halladay, toronto blue jays