More on the Halladay Deal

According to ESPN's Jayson Stark -- a Philadelphia native -- Toronto Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi is looking for talks regarding a possible trade of staff ace Roy Halladay to pick up next week, as the team is still currently scouting the minor league prospects of the other involved teams, including sending scouts to the Wednesday night start of Your World Champion Philadelphia Phillies' star prospect Kyle Drabek in Altoona, PA. This despite word that thus far Phils' GM Reuben Amaro has been unwilling to include the son of former Pirates pitcher Doug Drabek in any deal to acquire Halladay.

In posting about a potential Halladay deal yesterday, I mentioned my feeling that I would be willing to give up the top two pitching prospects plus the top non-pitching prospect in our entire league-best farm system, but that I would not also want to include third-year starter J.A. Happ in the deal. That position got some support in the comments, but then I got one comment from a fellow Philly guy in Riggs who stated plainly that he would give up any combination of our prospects and Happ if it meant we could acquire Roy Halladay free and clear with two seasons to go on his latest contract.

So I started thinking about what that would really mean for the Phillies' starting rotation. You guys tell me:

If we went ahead with what I will call the "Riggs Deal" for lack of a better term, the Phillies' starting rotation would become Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, Jamie Moyer and whoever else we can plug in as a fifth starter. We would have no more J.A. Happ, no more Drabek and no more #2 pitching prospect in the minor leagues either, so other than more free agency signings -- never a big item in Philadelphia -- these are our pitchers for the near future. Moreover, keep in mind that Jamie Moyer turns 137 during the 2009 regular season, so he can't have much more than this season left in him as a useful part of any major league starting rotation. Looking elsewhere on the Phillies' current roster, let's also not forget recent free agent signing Pedro Martinez, who might be useful for the first half of games over the rest of this season, but who also shares a 137th birthday this year with Jamie Moyer and whom I also cannot reasonably count on as contributing to our starting staff beyond this season. Among a few other stiffs like Kyle Kendrick, I also should mention Chan Ho Park, who these days works out of our bullpen but who gave us two solid innings in extra's on Tuesday night on the Phils' way to their 10th consecutive victory after a 13th-inning walkoff home run from Jayson Werth.

We all know at this point that Kyle Kendrick sucks balls. Just like we know that Chan Ho Park sucks 'em too, in addition to Pedro Martinez who anyone with a brain in their head should recognize will be eating testicles within a few innings of his first start at Citizen's Bank Park when the other team's hitters start bouncing his pitches off of every wall in the Phillies' beautiful new stadium. Jamie Moyer has somehow continued befuddling opposing batters with his roaring 80-mph fastball, but you gotta know that can't possibly last. Which, in my mind, leaves the 4th / 5th spot in the Phils' rotation under the Riggs Deal squarely resting on the shoulders of one man:

28-year-old Brett Myers.

Brett Myers is on the 60-day DL following surgery to repair an injury to his left hip, and as recently as today, the Phillies' GM stated that the team is not planning on getting a significant contribution from Myers during the balance of the 2009 season. Myers has been inconsistent over his eight-year career with the Phillies, showing flashes of brilliance followed by periods of ineffectiveness and an inability to find home plate. That said, Myers also reports that the rehab on his injured hip is progressing better than planned, and he recently stated his intent to return to the Phillies' bullpen as soon as late August.

Can Brett Myers successfully battle back from this injury and return to his previous form? Can Myers generate the consistent production needed out of a spot on the starting rotation befitting of the World Champions of baseball? How comfortable are you Phillies fans out there with Brett Myers being our fifth, fourth or possibly our third starter to go along with Hamels, Halladay and Blanton for the near future?

Personally, I am inclined to believe the point raised at the bottom of the article I linked above:

"There has been speculation from other teams that the Blue Jays would try to trade Halladay before he makes his next start, on Friday against Tampa Bay. But Ricciardi said he doesn't expect any deal to be completed before that start.

However, he wants this matter resolved, one way or the other, before Halladay's final scheduled start before the trade deadline, which would be Wednesday, July 29 in Seattle. And based on where trade talks now stand, Ricciardi said he expects Halladay to make that start for the Blue Jays.

'That's just my gut,' the GM said. 'My gut is telling me this [deal] won't happen.'"

I agree. Much ado about nothing is my guess for Roy Halladay coming to the National League in the end.