By Aaron M Smith
It is a deadly syndrome that is starting to sweep Major League baseball. There has been only one case known until recently and that case has existed only in Canada. But now rumors are circulating , that the syndrome is slowly spreading across the United States. It is the Roy Halladay Syndrome.
Possibly the best pitcher in all of Major League Baseball – the Toronto Blue Jays are rumored to have Halladay on the trading block. Check that – the rumor is no longer fiction, as General Manager J.P. Riccardi is fact dangling Halladay in front of all the General Managers throughout baseball. With the likely scenario that the Blue Jays will not be able to re-sign Halladay after the 2010 season – Riccardi is left with the only option left available – trade him for prospects After all – who wouldn’t want to add a pitcher like Roy Halladay? Let’s look at his resume:
2002-2008:
Wins: 113
Loses: 49
Complete Game: 37
Avg. Innings Pitched: 210
Avg. ERA: 2.50
Clearly, Halladay has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the game over the past 7 years. Averaging 210 innings, Halladay is almost a day off for your bullpen – eating up innings with quality starts. The 37 complete games is especially impressive considering teams use of pitch counts and specialized bullpens
But what will it take to get Halladay? Certainly a player of this caliber will not come cheap. Expect Riccardi and the Blue Jays to demand a king’s ransom. Players that are major league ready will be in the discussion. So will the phrase – “Top Prospects”. It will be the internal struggle that teams will undergo – are you willing to sacrifice your future for the present? Trading for Halladay could amount to no more then a year and a half rental. So a team would have to ask itself if this trade would put them over the top and bring a World Series championship home. And they will have to answer honestly to that question as well.
But who has the Halladay Syndrome? Some teams have it already (see Philadelphia Phillies). Some teams wish their location could allow the Syndrome to exist (see Pittsburgh Pirates). Some teams probably want it, but can’t because they are in the same division (New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox). But be very careful, as the Halladay Syndrome can be deadly. If applied correctly by the right General Manager, the trade could go down in history as one of the best. But if the Syndrome sets in on the wrong team – well – a silver platter will be delivered shortly after.
Let’s hear your thoughts:
I thought the idea was that Ricciardi was going to talk to everybody including the yankees and red sox. I believe his reason was that Halladay would be able to sign with them as a free agent.
Halladay also indicated that he doesn’t want to stay, by not accepting their extension. So their hands are forced, yet they’re demanding a king’s ransom(which halladay is definitely worth).
Anybody that’s a pitcher away from the play-offs, would be a fool not to go get him.
Gino – I think Ricciardi is going to talk with everyone – I just think it is unlikely that he will be traded within the division. If you are Toronto, do you want to be potentially facing him 4 or 5 times year? Ironically, I think the Red Sox are probably one of the few teams in MLB that can probably match what the Jays are looking for. Guys like Michael Bowden and/or Justin Masterson.
If the Blue Jays are going to get their ransom it is going to be now. If they wait until the offseason, I think they won’t get what they are looking for.
The White Sox were hot after Jake Peavey before he nixed the deal in May, so I don’t know why they wouldn’t also be seriously interested in a trade for Halladay. The ChiSox are now tied for first in the Central and having Halladay certainly pushes them into a serious pennant winning discussion. On the other hand, Kenny Williams is kidding himself if he thinks this current Sox roster is good enough to make it to the WS.
Carlos Quentin is back and getting a Roy Halladay pushes the Palehose into serious contention.
How about Buehrle’s perfect game today??? He’s kinda of a “left-handed Greg Maddux” …. works quick, throws strikes, makes ’em hit it … usually into the ground. Although he’s lacking a few Cy Youngs, so comparing him to Maddux is not fair on that basis.
Good to see the baseball discussion churning on the Pine.
Caught the last two outs of Buehrle’s perfecto. How about the catch made in center? Great stuff.
Good point about that catch, Casey. Generally, I’m quite impressed with the number and quality of daily web gems that ESPN replays. There’s a lot of great athletes flashing the leather in baseball these days and it’s good to see!
I thought Buehrle’s lack of really dominating, nasty stuff had finally caught up with him in ’06 and his career would slide downhill from there, but he turned it back around and has been the same consistent pitcher that he was before that off-year. As long as you acknowledge that he’s more of a poor man’s left-handed version of Greg Maddux, that’s a pretty good comparison, Wally.
Oh yeah, Halladay…one more week of listening to all the B.S. and negotiating through the press. That is, unless he doesn’t get moved and this thing drags into the off-season. It’s like Johan Santana all over again. I hope he gets traded to the National League. Maybe he could help them win an All-Star game one of these years.
Oh … and at 30 years old, Buehrle has a 133-90 record … winning at a .590 clip for his career. That’s pretty darned good isn’t it? I think he’s quite similar to Halladay in that regard. If he keeps this up for another 7-8 years, Buehrle will be a serious HoF candidate.
Yes, Chas, he’s a “poor man’s Greg Maddux”. Doubt that Buehrle will ever win a Cy Young because he doesn’t have dominant stuff. He pitches in a hitter’s ballpark, ERA likely never below 3.00, will be lucky to ever notch 20 wins in a season. He just competes every time out and eats up innings with first pitch strikes and many quick innings. Gets the ball and fires it … fielders love that. But if he can average 14-15 wins for another 8 years and keep that stellar winning %, we’re looking at a guy who may hit 260 wins … and in this era, that’s HoF stuff, esp when you toss in the two no-no’s.
I realize it’s tough to project 8 years out, so I’ll calm down about it. It’s just rare that a guy on “my team” gets the spotlight … the ChiSox are lucky to have such a class act/winner on their team for several years. Not many Chicago southside pitchers in the last 50 years have anchored the staff and enjoyed this type of success. My parents always talked about Billy Pierce (’50s). He was 202-158 and 3.27 ERA while with the Sox … a 7 time All-Star. Never a Cy Young, but a 20 game winner twice. I think Whitey Ford often stole his thunder … at least that’s what my Dad says.
Hey … what about Cliff Lee being traded to a contender as well??? He would also make a huge difference. Last year’s Cy Young winner has a 3.17 ERA with 2 complete game wins in his last 2 starts. The Tribe has got to be throwing in the towel on this season.
Some other factoids about Buehrle’s perfecto.
The average Tampa at bat lasted 54 seconds. 18 Tampa Bay batters took 50 seconds or less at the plate.
Dewayne Wise who saved perfection was brought in as a defensive replacement that inning.
The home plate umpire, Eric Cooper, also called Buehrle’s no-hitter.
The Rays might be the best team since the ’55 Dodgers to be no-hit. The Rays are third in the league in runs scored. Dem Bums won the World Series.
Interesting that Buerhle’s no-hitter and perfect game came against two of best offensive teams during that season – Texas Rangers and Tampa.
In fact Buerhle almost threw a perfect game in that no-hitter. The only blemish -a walk to Sammy Sossa, who he promptly picked off.
I hate this about sports. I wish there were no trades allowed in season. Probably because Cleveland trades away their best pitcher every year. But I do hate it for any team.
Heard that the Phillies did not want to give up who the Jays wanted and now the Dodgers and Angels(?) have made offers.