Toronto general manager JP Riccardi has said that he is willing to listen to offers for Cy Young award winner Roy Halladay. The impetus for such an openness to trading a pitcher like Halladay is due to the Blue Jays struggles this season (a respectable 43-41, but fourth place and seven games back in the AL East) along with the remainder of the $14.25M that Halladay is owed for 2009 and the $15.75M that he is due for 2010. Halladay does have a full no trade clause, but unless he takes a Jake Peavy-like approach, it seems unlikely he'd restrict a trade.

The more interesting question is what it would really take to pry Halladay away from the Blue Jays. Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco and Hanley Ramirez from the Marlins? Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury from the Red Sox? In reality, neither team would do a deal such as that, but the example illustrates just how talented Halladay can be. It seems unlikely that the Blue Jays would settle for what the Twins got in return for Johan Santana, the only other pitcher who really fits in Halladay's class in terms of effectiveness and consistency. What would the Blue Jays need to let Halladay go?

The American League seems like an unlikely destination for Halladay. The Blue Jays are probably hesitant to trade him within the AL East (it wouldn't really help that fourth place standing) and no team in the AL Central requires the kind of firepower Halladay brings to win the division. The only reasonable destination in the American League would be Texas. They certainly have the talent within their farm system to get Halladay and a player of his talent level may be the only type of player the Rangers would be willing to part with some of their top prospects.

The NL East is similar to the AL Central in that it's anyone's division to win (save the Nationals). The Phillies would love to add Halladay (or anyone else who can throw above 88), but lack much in their farm system to acquire him. Florida certainly has the talent to interest the Blue Jays as mentioned above, but probably is not interested in adding payroll. The Cardinals seem like a possibility with respect to adding payroll and have some prospects the Blue Jays could be interested in.

Everyone has heard about Stephen Strasburg and how the Nationals will selected the San Diego State phenom RHP with the #1 overall pick of the 2009 MLB Draft.  What about the other top pitchers?  Steve Henson of Yahoo! Sports gives us a preview of those who are likely to go in the first round

• Stephen Strasburg - The only way Strasburg doesn't go first is if his advisor's, Scott Boras, contract demands are too much for Washington.
• Aarow Crow - He was selected by the Nationals last year with the #9 pick, but famously couldn't come to terms with Washington and has pitched sporadically for the Fort Worth Cats.  He figures to go somewhere in between #2 to the Mariners and #5 to the Orioles.
• Mike Minor - Many scouts feel that Minor is only a year away from pitching in the majors which makes him attractive.  Some scouts also think that the Minor we're seeing now is the best he'll be which could scare teams off.
• Alex White - White had a tremendous career at UNC that was tarnished by poor outings in the ACC tournament and opening round of the NCAA tournament.  He did pitch well in Saturday's super regional, but the damage may already have been done to his draft stock.
• Tanner Scheppers - While with Fresno State last year, a mysterious shoulder injury kept him on the sidelines while his team won the NCAA title.  He dropped to the second round in 2008 and did not sign with the Pirates, instead playing for the St. Paul Saints.  If he lasted to the middle of the first round, it'd be a surprise.
• Chad Jenkins - His draft stock has been rising with the quality of his change up, but he also boasts a good fastball and slider.  Many predict that he'll end up on the Nationals with Strasburg as the #10 pick.  
• Kyle Heckathorn - Jenkins teammate, he started the season ranked ahead of his teammate, but has since fallen below him.  That's more praise of Jenkins than an indictment of Heckathorn who has thrown hard all year and may be a closer at the professional level.
• Mike Leake - His height, 5-11, is figuratively keeping him down as every other metric seemingly used to indicate pitching success he has.
• Rex Brothers - The proverbial "live arm" Brothers needs to develop a changeup and improve his control.
• Eric Arnett - Scouts compare his large frame to Derek Lowe and Josh Johnson.
• Drew Storen - Storen could be attractive for teams looking for more immediate help.  He's already a reliever in college and thus has had a small work load on his pitching shoulder.
• James Paxton - Positives: 95mph fastball, hard slider.  Negatives: funky arm motion, command needs improvement.
• Kyle Gibson - The "forearm stiffness" Gibson was suffering is infact a stress fracture in his arm that could really hurt his draft stock. 
• Andrew Oliver - A major prospect in 2008, Oliver has had a difficult season and seen his draft stock plummet.

Way back on August 26th, Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinal wrote an article about the decisions the Marlins have to make with so many of their young players due for raises in arbitration. We covered it here, linking to Mike's insightful article to give credit.

Yesterday, Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post, wrote an obviously similar article (which you can find here) a little more than a week after Berardino's article. Not only was the topic of the article almost identical, much of Capozzi's language is very similar, if not identical.

The similarities go beyond just figures. Take a look for yourself:

1. Berardino writes:

[Kevin] Gregg figures to land in the $4.5 million range, which makes him a likely trade candidate as the Marlins make room for understudy Matt Lindstrom, who won't be eligible for arbitration for at least another year.

Capozzi writes:

Gregg could be in line for about $4 million, despite his recent struggles. But the team might try to trade him, too, and give Matt Lindstrom a shot at the closer's role.

2. Berardino writes:

Lefty Scott Olsen ($2.6 million projected) could wind up making a bit more than [Ricky] Nolasco based on his durability during the two-year period that will be evaluated.

Capozzi writes:

...and Olsen, whose durability could net him $2.5 million.

3. Berardino writes:

Josh Johnson, making a successful return from Tommy John surgery, should experience a more modest pay increase, but he still should reach seven figures for the first time.

Capozzi writes:

Right-hander Josh Johnson could get $1 million through arbitration

4. Berardino writes:

Current Marlins under team control for next season include franchise shortstop Hanley Ramirez ($5.5 million); starters Andrew Miller ($1.575 million), Anibal Sanchez and Chris Volstad...Sanchez and Volstad should make close to $400,000...Olsen would be a logical trade candidate in that scenario.

Capozzi writes:

Three starting pitchers are under team control next year: left-hander Andrew Miller ($1.57 million) and right-handers Anibal Sanchez and Chris Volstad (each projected to get around $400,000)...That means Olsen could be trade bait.

5. Berardino writes:

Five Marlins can become free agents: reserve outfielder Luis Gonzalez, infielder Wes Helms, backup catcher Paul Lo Duca and lefties Arthur Rhodes and Mark Hendrickson.

Capozzi writes:

Then there are five Marlins who can become free agents: reserve outfielder Luis Gonzalez, backup catcher Paul Lo Duca, infielder Wes Helms, and lefties Arthur Rhodes and Mark Hendrickson.

6. Berardino writes:

[Mike] Jacobs, whose salary could approach $2.5 million off an overall disappointing year, is a trade candidate as the Marlins seek to improve their defense while balancing their books. Corner infielder Jorge Cantu, a second-time arbitration qualifier, is a candidate to replace Jacobs at first, but only if his salary doesn't rise too quickly off this comeback season. If Cantu moves off third, that could open the door for Triple-A third baseman Dallas McPherson, who leads the minors with 40 homers.

Capozzi writes:

The team could move Cantu to first base and give Dallas McPherson a shot at third base, making Jacobs expendable.