Toronto Blue Jays ace pitcher Roy Halladay has been on the trading block since the summer. His wait for a new address may be nearing an end. The National League champion Philadelphia Phillies were close to acquiring Halladay on Monday evening, according to published reports by both Sports Illustrated and ESPN. The proposed deal would send Cliff Lee — the anchor of Philadelphia’s rotation the second half of last season after they rescued him from Cleveland at the trade deadline — to Seattle and a batch of top prospects to Toronto in a rare three-way deal. The holdup was reportedly Halladay signing a contract extension with Philadelphia and which prospects the Phillies would send to the Blue Jays. But if it goes through the deal makes sense for all sides.
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Halladay is one of the top pitchers in the game, a durable presence who has battled in the American League East for 11 years. Philadelphia would sign him to an extension for at least three more seasons. And that’s important because Lee wants to test the free-agent market when his contract expires at the end of 2010.
That’s a risk for the Mariners, of course. But Seattle is clearly pushing to contend in the American League West right now, and a one-two punch of Lee — the 2008 AL Cy Young winner — and Felix Hernandez in spacious Safeco Field would be tough to match. The Mariners already have signed Chone Figgins as their third baseman and are rumored to be after Boston outfielder Jason Bay, too. He went to college at Gonzaga and hails from nearby British Columbia. Those moves would put a ton of pressure on the Angels, who reports said Monday will lose ace pitcher John Lackey to the Red Sox.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are in full rebuild mode as they try to compete in the monster AL East. A key to the deal for Toronto? Promising right-handed pitcher Phillippe Aumont, a Quebec native who is the third-highest Canadian ever picked in the Major League Baseball draft (No. 11 overall, 2007). He is a 6-foot-7 power pitcher.
