Taking One Final Stab At Roy Halladay
Blue Jays ace right-hander Roy Halladay deals against the White Sox on Sunday, April 26th.
[Editor's Note: This was first published at approximately 6:30 p.m. CST Wednesday evening, around the same time that reports first arose indicating that the Rangers were still deeply involved with Roy Halladay, so the first paragraph is likely a tad outdated -- but the article's basic premise is still as relevant as ever.]
Let's be perfectly clear about one thing -- provided that there is even the slightest modicum of truth to local media reports intimating that the Texas Rangers are not capable of incurring a $2 million payroll hit without some crafty payroll-shedding roster manipulations, the Roy Halladay-to-Texas notion is as dead as it ever was. Lifeless. Flat-lined. Deceased.
Perhaps my perception of the situation is erroneous and totally off base, but it's beginning to feel as though the entire Halladay-specific deal-or-no-deal line of discourse has actually transcended Halladay and is now centered more so on the literal million-dollar question: How much is too much to relinquish for a game-changing player with the element of questionable timing in play?
More to the point, the Rangers' buzz-inducing flirtations with the Blue Jays have created a convenient platform for the discussion of the relative merits of pulling the costly trigger on a win-now transaction -- one that may or may not put you over the top in a two-team race in which you're already trailing, but still have ample opportunity to catch up in -- and the invariable downside of potentially watching that young talent flourish in another organization.
This, frankly, feels as though it has become bigger than Roy Halladay. This has become a debate on team-building philosophy. But I digress.
A deal involving Justin Smoak, Derek Holland or Neftali Feliz, Julio Borbon and one additional mid-range prospect -- e.g. Wilfredo Boscan, Kasey Kiker or Omar Poveda -- was never going to happen, irrespective of whether the Blue Jays were willing to subsidize a portion of Halladay's salary or absorb a multi-million-dollar Rangers contract (all indications suggest Toronto is neither willing nor in a position to do so), and viewing the Rangers' pursuit of Halladay through that prism does, in my mind, miss the point a little -- not only were the Rangers never going to do that, but I would wager that the percentage of the informed Rangers-following population willing to do that resides below the 10 percent mark. Hell, would anybody really want to do that? It's not remotely feasible now and wasn't remotely feasible three weeks ago when the commotion over Halladay first commenced.
The Rangers' counter-proposal to the Blue Jays' demands remains an object of mystery, but what I'm currently wondering is whether the replacement of Smoak in that aforementioned package with catcher Taylor Teagarden -- thus whetting Toronto's appetite for a viable major league backstop -- would represent a compromise that both sides, as well as a considerably larger segment of the Rangers fan base, could get behind.
Texas was always going to have to relinquish at least one of the so-called "Big Four" in any deal, and I doubt many would permit the inclusion of Teagarden and/or that mid-level hurler to be the dealbreaker ... so, would that render Julio Borbon the dealbreaker by default? Is he the player whom you would allow such a blockbuster deal to hinge upon -- the player who could develop into vintage Juan Pierre, but whose debatable offensive skills could also make him into a future role player at best?
[Now, that isn't to say that role players don't possess value to competitive major league teams, for they most certainly do, but my point is that there is absolutely no assurance that he will evolve into anything more than a below-average center fielder in the grand scheme of things. He's not a "sure thing" in the vein of Smoak or an elite physical talent in the vein of Feliz; rather, he's a pretty nice prospect that may or may not become a legitimate asset down the line. And I say that as a pretty big proponent of Borbon.]
My sense is that some believe the Rangers should entirely eschew the Halladay-to-Texas notion for the sole reason that this isn't the right time to add that final championship-bolstering piece, regardless of how far the Blue Jays' demands fell. I don't subscribe to that idea. If, for example, J.P. Ricciardi were to acquiesce to a deal comprising just one of the "Big Four" and two or three mid-level arms (hypothetically, of course), I suspect a number of people would jump all over it; I certainly know I would. Such a deal would be a substantially more appealing proposition from a value standpoint, and this indicates to me that everybody has their personal limit as to what they would and would not be comfortable doing for Halladay.
A Feliz/Holland-Borbon-Teagarden-Boscan/Poveda/Kiker package might well be more than the Rangers are willing to yield and less than the Blue Jays are willing to accept, and perhaps the disparity in opinion that currently exists between the two ballclubs will ultimately prove too much to overcome even in the event of the Rangers' successful aversion of the financial obstacle (which continues to greatly hinder the ballclub's manueverability), but it might well be the last, best offer the Rangers could possibly muster the fortitude to tender, and with the virtually leverage-less Toronto facing the likely prospect of a diminished trade return for Halladay this coming winter, could they really say no?
You tell me.
5 Comments | in Analysis, Rumors, The Season
Reader Comments (5)
I'm one of those that think that this is not the right time to deal so many of the Ranger's best prospects. There is a time, but this isn't it. If a trade is made, I don't want to see Smoak, Holland or Feliz included.
I think JP is crazy enough to think he can compete again next yr, so maybe he isn't bluffing and willing to give it one more shot.
I agree with Mike above, its not time to pull the trigger. Let's keep what we have and run with it this year. I don't think Halladay would be enough to take the Rangers to the World Series and even with him they might still miss the playoffs alltogether. A lot hinges on the offense picking up at least some over the next two monthsw and the pitching staying consistent and healthy. If we are in this same situation or better next year then it might be time to do this type of deal. Now if we could get a pitcher of Halladay's caliber and coltrol that player for more than one year that would be a different story. Also we have to remember, yes Halliday is a GREAT pitcher, but he is also 32 years old and already has quite a few years behind him. Also I consider him a one year and two month rental as he has already indicated that he would be exploring the free agent market after next year. I don't have confidence that he would resign with Texas for a three + year contract.
I take a pass on Halladay, the cost is just too high at this point.
At this point I would much rather see us spend our prospects on Adrian Gonzalez, who might cost less but have more of an impact on the lineup.
I would feel uncomfortable dealing any combination of two of the "big four." Furthermore, I agree with your assessment of Borbon's potential. That kind of potential really should not be a "dealbreaker." That said, my stomach cringes at the thought of dealing him. An outfield of Borbon with plus speed and defense in center flanked by Cruz and Hamilton really sounds great for our defense and thus our staff. Smoak's OBP skills are exactly the type of thing this offense desperately needs. My top offer would be Feliz, Teagarden, Davis, and one of Kiker, Boscan, or Poveda. Take it or leave it.