Major League Baseball

Jays face other trade deadline decisions

Published Jul. 21, 2009 8:50 p.m. ET

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Amid the Roy Halladay frenzy, maybe it's time to consider whether the Toronto Blue Jays, who were in first place less than two months ago, might have other players who would be attractive on the trade market.

Let's use some common sense here: If general manager J.P. Ricciardi is listening to offers on The Best Pitcher in Baseball, then he might pick up the phone if you, as a general manager, need a little more Brandon League or Brian Tallet in your life.




I loathe the term "untouchable" — it's too liberally applied and rarely 100 percent accurate — but I have been told that the Jays aren't expected to move the likes of Aaron Hill and Adam Lind this year.

The same can probably be said of Ricky Romero and their other young left-handed starters for the simple reason that someone with a healthy arm will need to start ballgames in the event that Halladay is dealt.

Other than that, sell away.

Of course, it's not going to be that simple. Ricciardi can't trade away his entire core, particularly if he would like to maintain any hope of contending in 2010. And he's spending a large portion of his time on Halladay-related business. Other potential trades don't have the same priority.

"Halladay is first on the agenda," one Jays official said Monday. "And if he doesn't go, there's no sense in blowing it up because we can still try to contend next year."

But let's think about this for a minute. What would happen if the Jays keep Halladay and flip several other players in an attempt to make a better, deeper Toronto team in 2010?

I'm not suggesting Ricciardi can trade three or four veterans and approximate the value he would receive by dealing one Roy Halladay. But that strategy might enable him to augment a position player group that, if improved in the right ways, has a chance to contend next year.

And remember this: Ricciardi is the one evaluating the baseball aspects of these trades, but interim president Paul Beeston will have his say-so, too. And Beeston is the one who over the weekend said, "The only way he's going to be traded is if we are overwhelmed."

With that in mind, here's a look at Toronto's trade candidates, non-Cy Young Award division.

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