Wrinkle in Halladay Trade Negotiations

by Eli Greenspan on Jul 14, 2009 10:38 AM EDT

The Roy Halladay sweepstakes continue to dominate the trade deadline rumor mill.

In the midst of all the Halladay speculation, there is something you should know: Any team acquiring Halladay probably would not be able to negotiate with him until after a trade were complete. According to a baseball source, the Toronto Blue Jays will not allow any interested team to negotiate with a player should a trade be agreed upon prior to the July 31 trading deadline. In some cases, teams shopping a player like Halladay will allow interested clubs to negotiate with the player prior to formalizing a trade. In this case, the Jays have no such intention. Halladay, 32, is currently signed through the end of next season. Part of the reason the Jays would not allow an acquiring club to negotiate is because the new team already would have nearly a year and a half to negotiate with the player.

Boston Globe

This strategy may backfire on GM JP Ricciardi, who may have no takers other than teams like the Yankees and Red Sox, who seem to have bottomless pockets. Why would a team pay such an exhorbitant amount for a player who is basically a 1 1/2 season rental unless they were fairly assured of being able to sign him to an extension?

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