Will Roy Halladay be Traded to Yankees for Joba Chamberlain?

November 28, 2009

By DailySkew

Will Roy Halladay be traded to Yankees for Joba Chamberlain? This is the burning question that is all over the New York radio stations, New York newspapers, and baseball forums. After Red Sox GM Theo Epstein boasted that the Red Sox will do anything in their power to acquire Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay via trade, Halladay unexpectingly said that he would allow himself to be traded to the Yankees.

An unnamed MLB source said:“I don’t know when he is going and I don’t know where he’s going. But I do know that Halladay has told the Jays he’ll approve a trade to the Yankees.” The story was written Bob Elliot of the Toronto Sun from the famous Canada’s Slam Sports Web.

That one sentence has created a furor of speculation.Believe it or not, many New York Yankees fans are divided on if Cashman should trade for Roy Halladay. To me, it’s a no-brainer: Halladay is an ace elite proven pitcher and you can never have enough pitching. How does CC Sabathia, Roy Halladay, Andy Pettitte, AJ Burnett, and Phil Hughes sound for the 2010 Yankees starting rotation?

The fact is that Roy Halladay no longer feels welcome in Toronto. He wasn’t thrilled last year when the previous GM put him on the trading block (a human behavior that is simulated in the computer game OOTPX) and he doesn’t like the direction the Blue Jays are going in now under the new GM Alex Anthopolous.

Joba Chamberlain is the most obvious choice for the Yankees to put in a package deal, possibly including “the next Bernie Williams” Austin Jackson from the minor leagues.

Let’s examine what the naysayers of this deal say:

1) Halladay is 32 years old.
2) Halladay can become a free agent in 2011, so the Yanks need to have him sign a super-contract- long term and big money.
3) Halladay tanked last year when he wasn’t happy.
4) The Yankees shouldn’t trade any young good players. Guys like Joba and Hughes are cheaper and have their entire careers ahead of them, and can be just as effective as Halladay.

Here are my counterarguments:

1) 32 years old for a proven ace like Halladay is doesn’t mean much. If he was Randy Johnson at 37, I’d see the hesitation to sign a long term deal, but not 32.
2) There is no chance Halladay becomes a free agent. Part of the trade will include a window to sign an extention. Halladay can be effective for many more years.
3) Halladay will be happy with the Yankees.
4) Getting Halladay now makes the Yankees more powerful in 2010 and 2011. In 2010 and 2011, Joba and Hughes will *still* be on an innings limit (Joba Rules). In 2010, it’s very possible that CC, Halladay, AJ, and Andy toss around 200 above average innings each, which would probably guarantee a post-season appearance again. As the rotation stands right now, the Yanks would still rely on back-end guys like Chad Gaudin and scrap heap pitchers to fill in.

More bonuses if the Halladay is traded to the Yankees:

Halladay is AJ Burnett’s mentor and friend. If Joe Molina walks, who will be Burnett’s therapist? Why not make the best return on the AJ Burnett investment by keeping him happy?
The Yankees block the Red Sox from getting Halladay.

In conclusion, the Yanks need to do what needs to be done to get Roy Halladay.The Yanks will still be in excellent shape if they don’t trade for him, however. But this seems like a nice opportunity.

1997 Roy Halladay Bowman Chrome Baseball MLB Rookie Cards – Near Mint to Mint Condition (Toronto Blue Jays)