Friday, December 11, 2009

Happy Halladay?

Don’t look now, just two days away from a huge Eagles-Giants prime time affair, but it’s baseball season again.

There are several published reports that put the Phillies at the top of the heap in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes.

You remember Roy. He’s the guy the Phils did not get at the trade deadline last summer. Instead they picked up Cliff Lee. Worked out pretty well.

Halliday is leaving the Blue Jays. They’re entertaining offers, and it looks like things are heating up with the Phils.

Back on the block again, just as he was last summer, is young lefty J.A.

Happ. Also tossed in is likely to be one of their top minor league position players, someone like outfielder Michael Taylor.

This might sound weird but here is one vote against the deal. I don’t want the Phils to mimick the Yankees, and think they can merely buy a championship. To me, that would taint the effort.

Instead I’d like the Phils to go at it again with the lineup they have.

One of the problems they will face if they are serious about getting Halladay is payroll. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has been adamant that the team will not go over its $140 million ceiling. That would mean another salary also would have to be jettisoned. The likely candidate there would be right-hander Joe Blanton.

Then the Phils would face the daunting task of having to sign both Lee and Halladay to extensions, or face the possibility of being left with nothing after this year.

Halladay is a great pitcher. He’d certainly look good in red pinstripes and be another stud in the Phils’ rotation.

I still don’t want them to do it.

Unfortunately, Amaro keeps denying there is real interest in Halladay .

Which tells me there probably is.

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