Rangers the Frontrunners?

[-MetA4-]

Unless you work with JP Ricciardi and Paul Beeston, you have no idea what they will do if they are presented with that offer. You have to have guts to make a franchise-altering move that could alienate a majority of the fans, and I'm not sure either of the two will pull it off. Especially when they both may not even be with the team after this winter.

Then why are they going so extensively with these trade negotiations? Look, this thing has been all over TV for 2 weeks now and its already been brought to light that they believe Halladay will not resign...at this point I think everyone has gotten over the "OMG trade Ro Halladay??" shock and if you look around it seems like most people are actually hoping this ends up going through because the light has come on that this team cant compete as it is currently assembled.

If they clearly wanted to trade Halladay, they would have done it already with Philly before they moved onto Cliff Lee. The Jays are in a state of disarray.

I said they wanted to trade him, not give him away for a terrible return. Its not like Philly made us a legit offer and we turned it down, they refused to give up pretty much all of the pieces we really wanted (Drabek and Dom Brown) and before we could wait it out for them to potentially improve their offer they found an absolute steal in what they gave up for Lee.

Again...you don't know what the team is willing to do. All signs have pointed to their unwillingness to pay for any of his contract.

We just ate $10+ million of BJ Ryan's contract and we're not getting ANYTHING there. The thought that a few million is going to break a potentially great trade offer is ridiculous in my mind, especially considering that if we dont trade him we're going to have to pay him all of this years salary anyway. I cant see how Rogers isn't going to jump all over giving Texas $2-3 million when it means we're completely off the hook for the $16 million Halladay makes next year.

Rosenthal's source tonight on Foxsports.com indicated that Halladay has not said he would approve a deal to Texas yet.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9871 ... 7s-edition

This is the only thing you've said that could still be a hold-up, however, the fact that he hasn't already made it clear he wont go to Texas suggests there is at least a decent chance of him accepting it. Halladay is reasonable and he's also very much into winning...I'm sure in the end he'd rather go to a team that is 14-15 games over .500 and only a few games out of a playoff spot instead of sitting around in mediocrity in Toronto.

[Dr Positivity]

I want Justin Smoak. He has the best name in all of sports. JUSTIN SMOKE!!!

[Mustard_Tiger]

Then why are they going so extensively with these trade negotiations? Look, this thing has been all over TV for 2 weeks now and its already been brought to light that they believe Halladay will not resign...at this point I think everyone has gotten over the "OMG trade Ro Halladay??" shock and if you look around it seems like most people are actually hoping this ends up going through because the light has come on that this team cant compete as it is currently assembled.

Fans on internet message boards are not a good sample of an overall fanbase. I know plenty of casual ones that have said they will stop watching the Jays if Roy Halladay is traded (heck, just glance at the TSN comments section after a Jays game to see what the common fan is thinking). If Paul Beeston okays this trade, he's going to have to think long and hard about alienating the fans in another rebuilding mode.

Personally, I disagree with your assertion that the team couldn't contend next year (they are one of the better teams in baseball as it is right now), but yes, I would consider it unlikely that they would beat two of the big 3 in their division.

I said they wanted to trade him, not give him away for a terrible return. Its not like Philly made us a legit offer and we turned it down, they refused to give up pretty much all of the pieces we really wanted (Drabek and Dom Brown) and before we could wait it out for them to potentially improve their offer they found an absolute steal in what they gave up for Lee.

Basically the Jays aren't that desperate to make a trade. The Indians seemingly were. If the Jays don't get the offer they are looking for with the Rangers or anybody else, I don't think they make it (just like they didn't make it with the Phillies).

We just ate $10+ million of BJ Ryan's contract and we're not getting ANYTHING there. The thought that a few million is going to break a potentially great trade offer is ridiculous in my mind, especially considering that if we dont trade him we're going to have to pay him all of this years salary anyway. I cant see how Rogers isn't going to jump all over giving Texas $2-3 million when it means we're completely off the hook for the $16 million Halladay makes next year.

I can't really argue with that point. Rogers can do anything they want with the payroll. It's just another complication and haggling point for the next 12 hours, though.

This is the only thing you've said that could still be a hold-up, however, the fact that he hasn't already made it clear he wont go to Texas suggests there is at least a decent chance of him accepting it. Halladay is reasonable and he's also very much into winning...I'm sure in the end he'd rather go to a team that is 14-15 games over .500 and only a few games out of a playoff spot instead of sitting around in mediocrity in Toronto.

While not having any chance at the playoffs in Toronto this season, the Jays actually are a better team than the Rangers and are more familiar to him. Getting him to accept a deal to Texas might take a Nolan Ryan call, and even then, Doc may not want to go to Arlington.

[Mustard_Tiger]

Looks like I was right. The Jays never got the offer they were looking for and didn't trade him.

[Mustard_Tiger]

The Rangers beat writer also says that Halladay declined to go to Texas last night.