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07-09-2009, 01:36 PM
Phillies Notes: What would Halladay cost?
By Andy Martino and Jim Salisbury
Inquirer Staff Writers
The Phillies would, of course, love to trade for Toronto pitcher Roy Halladay. But is their farm system rich enough in talent to entice the Blue Jays into dealing one of the best pitchers in baseball? And if it is, will the Phils sacrifice their top prospects?
Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi told The Inquirer yesterday that he is seeing the type of talent "that makes you sit up and take notice. The clubs that have contacted us understand that."
Ricciardi declined to name the teams with whom he has spoken about Halladay, but he made it clear that he is looking for young, inexpensive, premium talent.
Baseball sources said the Phillies have been in regular contact with Toronto about Halladay and are serious players in the sweepstakes to land him. Sources said that the two teams spoke Monday night, before Ricciardi publicly declared that he would listen to offers for the pitcher.
It has been speculated that Halladay would require a contract extension beyond 2010 to waive his no-trade clause, but that is not a certainty. Halladay has said he is eager to play for a winning team, and that might push him to approve a deal without an immediate extension.
The Phillies do not have a player in their farm system generally regarded as a "can't miss" prospect, a player like Matt LaPorta, who helped the Milwaukee Brewers acquire pitcher CC Sabathia last summer. But they have several highly touted prospects, including pitcher Kyle Drabek and outfielders Michael Taylor and Dominic Brown.
Though manager Charlie Manuel is eager to add a pitcher, he mentioned one player he would be reluctant to lose.
"It'd be tough for me to trade Drabek," Manuel said of the 22-year-old righthander. "I like Drabek because he's strong in his legs and his hips and he's a drop-and-drive kind of pitcher. I'm not a pitching coach, but I like his mechanics and I like where he comes from and he's a strong-bodied kid, like a Tom Seaver type or a Bartolo Colon, and he's got that kind of stuff. And he's young, and I think he has a big upside to him."
General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. declined to discuss specifics of a potential deal, but acknowledged the difficulty of balancing the present and future. "There are some untouchables in our system," Amaro said. "We feel that we are building a pretty strong farm system. . . . It is important to win now, and we understand the importance of that. But that said, there are players that we would like to keep for our future."
Amaro also said he would be reluctant to trade players from the major-league roster.
The many uncertainties and variables make this potential trade as difficult to execute as any, and one thing is abundantly clear: Ricciardi feels no urgency to deal his ace, and will only do so if he receives an offer that overwhelms him.
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/homepage/20090709_Phillies_Notes__What_would_Halladay_cost_ .html
By Andy Martino and Jim Salisbury
Inquirer Staff Writers
The Phillies would, of course, love to trade for Toronto pitcher Roy Halladay. But is their farm system rich enough in talent to entice the Blue Jays into dealing one of the best pitchers in baseball? And if it is, will the Phils sacrifice their top prospects?
Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi told The Inquirer yesterday that he is seeing the type of talent "that makes you sit up and take notice. The clubs that have contacted us understand that."
Ricciardi declined to name the teams with whom he has spoken about Halladay, but he made it clear that he is looking for young, inexpensive, premium talent.
Baseball sources said the Phillies have been in regular contact with Toronto about Halladay and are serious players in the sweepstakes to land him. Sources said that the two teams spoke Monday night, before Ricciardi publicly declared that he would listen to offers for the pitcher.
It has been speculated that Halladay would require a contract extension beyond 2010 to waive his no-trade clause, but that is not a certainty. Halladay has said he is eager to play for a winning team, and that might push him to approve a deal without an immediate extension.
The Phillies do not have a player in their farm system generally regarded as a "can't miss" prospect, a player like Matt LaPorta, who helped the Milwaukee Brewers acquire pitcher CC Sabathia last summer. But they have several highly touted prospects, including pitcher Kyle Drabek and outfielders Michael Taylor and Dominic Brown.
Though manager Charlie Manuel is eager to add a pitcher, he mentioned one player he would be reluctant to lose.
"It'd be tough for me to trade Drabek," Manuel said of the 22-year-old righthander. "I like Drabek because he's strong in his legs and his hips and he's a drop-and-drive kind of pitcher. I'm not a pitching coach, but I like his mechanics and I like where he comes from and he's a strong-bodied kid, like a Tom Seaver type or a Bartolo Colon, and he's got that kind of stuff. And he's young, and I think he has a big upside to him."
General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. declined to discuss specifics of a potential deal, but acknowledged the difficulty of balancing the present and future. "There are some untouchables in our system," Amaro said. "We feel that we are building a pretty strong farm system. . . . It is important to win now, and we understand the importance of that. But that said, there are players that we would like to keep for our future."
Amaro also said he would be reluctant to trade players from the major-league roster.
The many uncertainties and variables make this potential trade as difficult to execute as any, and one thing is abundantly clear: Ricciardi feels no urgency to deal his ace, and will only do so if he receives an offer that overwhelms him.
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/homepage/20090709_Phillies_Notes__What_would_Halladay_cost_ .html