Yankees to inquire on Roy Halladay

by Eli Greenspan on Nov 12, 2009 6:36 PM EST Comment 5 comments

Jon Heyman of SI.com is reporting that the Yankees will inquire about Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay. The Yankees are interested in adding a starting pitcher this season, and have looked into free agents like John Lackey and Aroldis Chapman. However, both players demands are expected to soar as interest increases.

The Yankees hope that adding another pitcher will give them more stability at the bottom of their rotation, which was occupied by Segio Mitre and Chad Gaudin for a chunk of the season.

Halladay would certainly do the job of fortifying that rotation, giving the Yankees one of the best 1-2-3 combinations in baseball. However, at what cost?

Phil Hughes put up great numbers in the bullpen this past season, and could be an option for the rotation next season. If the Yankees are more inclined to go after a veteran like Halladay, than Hughes could be the key piece of that deal.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Phil Hughes	8-3	51	7	0	0	3	3	86.0	68	31	29	8	28	96	3.03	1.12

Guys like Zach McAllister or Andrew Brackman could also be guys on the move.

I'd be surprised to see the Yankees make a move for a big time starter like Roy Halladay. Going after a pitcher like Kevin Millwood, who is also coming into a contract year, would allow the Yankees to keep Phil Hughes and to develop him into the starter they think he can be.

Other pitchers they could look into include: Carlos Zambrano, Javier Vazquez, and Brandon Webb, among others.

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I hope they don't do this...

Halladay will be 33 next season. Historically, pitchers begin to decline around this age, so we won’t be getting Halladay for his peak. I’d rather get a younger guy for a smaller price.

by Wraithpk on Nov 12, 2009 11:20 PM EST reply actions

No one is interested in trading for Andrew Brackman. Hughes also would not be the “key piece” in a Halladay deal. It would take Montero+, and even then they probably get outbid – and its uncertain the Jays would want to build a deal around a 1B prospect, even if he has a super bat.

by alskor on Nov 13, 2009 2:10 PM EST reply actions

Why should they develop talent?

Money is clearly not an object. If everything possible goes right for Hughes, he might be in the same league as Halladay. But, why run that risk when Halladay himself is available? Halladay is 33 and the Yanks will likely have to offer him 4 or 5 years and Halladay will likely be in decline during the last 2 or 3 years of the contract. If they Yanks want, they can pick up a a lot of his contract and trade him to another team and then sign Lincecum or whoever else the best available pitcher will be in 2012 or 13. The Yanks still dedicate a relatively low percentage of their income to MLB salaries. They should up that and simply use the rest of the league as their farm system. There really is no point in them risking prospects in the big leagues. Prospects are great to trade, but let other teams deal with their big league growing pains. Once they have overcome these, the Yanks should then trade for them or sign them to bring them up to their team.

by uneasy rider on Nov 14, 2009 8:20 AM EST reply actions

sarcasm?

Please tell me you’re being sarcastic…

by rmarx on Nov 30, 2009 12:13 PM EST up reply actions

lol @ hughes being a key piece

The Jays would never trade Doc to the Yankees unless they got Joba, Hughes and Montero..
People seem to forget that Doc is pretty much the best pitcher in the MLB and has been for the last 10 years or so.
Hughes hasnt shown much at all as a starter, Joba really isnt that great, and montero hasnt seen the majors yet… its not that great of a package.

Also, wtf is this stuff about Doc declining? Look at his numbers… hes been producing at the same rate for ages… and his strikeout numbers have gone up hugely in the last few seasons. hes not declining.

Onions Baby Onions

by ohmybosh on Nov 15, 2009 3:13 AM EST reply actions