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MLB: Jays may consider trading Halladay

Odds & News | Webmaster ( Thu 12th, November 2009 )

Finally, Alex Anthopoulos did away with suspense as well agreed on Saturday afternoon while discussing the immediate and long term direction of the Toronto Blue Jays. This was the topic that the new general manager was required to address.

With General Manager meetings set to kick off in Chicago on Monday, Anthopoulos felt that now was the time to talk about it. Coming off a disappointing 75 win season, the Blue Jays haven't appeared close to a playoff appearance since winning the World Series in 1993. Now they are depending on Anthopoulos to search for a remedy.

Anthopoulos' vison of the organization is to become a yearly postseason candidate within the difficult American League East. To get to that point, Anthopoulos' tactics relie less on free agency and will focus his attention to build a strong core with their player development by having strong scouting and making trades.

Anthopoulos doesn't care about the fans judgment which means the Blue Jays are beginning the rebuilding phase. "Actually, I would characterize this as building." Anthopoulos said during a conference call. "I believe when people talk about rebuilding, you will be trading away numerous players and tearing down a team. I do not know that we have this essentially. I believe we have numerous of good young players. Right now I do not think we have enough."

The matter on the minds of fan the Blue Jays' fan base is ace Roy Halladay's status. Roy Halladay is eligible for free agency next offseason and is a key component of the direction of Toronto. Anthopoulos was worried about the Jays desire to keep Halladay, but the pitcher has made it no secret that his goal is to reach the postseason and play for a World Series title soon.

A contract addition for Halladay is a doubtful scenario; to consider that in 2010, would be a stepping stone in one more long term procedure for Toronto. It's more probable that Anthopoulos will field trade proposals for the pitcher this winter. Also, the young general manager specified that he is open to listen to proposals for any of his players.

Anthopoulos said, "There are a number of players that I will be very averse to trade. That being said, I believe I have to be open minded to everything that can make the ballclub better and going forward better for the long term. Roy's made it very clear that he desires to win, as well we respect that and that is why we like him. He is as aggressive as there is.

"He is probably one of the best, if not the best, Blue Jays to ever put on a uniform here. However he desires to win and we were a 75 win team last year. We have not met the criteria for winning; and we certainly do not fault him for that. We definitely want to win and I believe that he stressed his timeline and ours can't mesh or match."

Anthopoulos didn't reveal one specific payroll figure for the upcoming season. Which was roughly $80 million last year. He said that the team ownership has articulated a keenness to increase the payroll. Also Anthopoulos hopes Toronto can finally reach the financial level of other teams like the White Sox, Angels and Red Sox.

Anthopoulos added, "I will say that I probably would be more active to trades than to free agency. I believe that trades are definitely amazing and that I am going to be extra aggressive generally. That does not necessarily indicate that they are going to arise, but it is probably a bit more a fit for the club at this time."

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