With the Phillies now out of the hunt for Roy Halladay after acquiring Cliff Lee this afternoon, things should get more interesting in the coming days before Friday's 4pm trade deadline.

• Toronto general manager JP Riccardi believes he'll keep Halladay and try to compete in 2010. He'd have to be "wowed" to move Halladay now. That seems to make the most sense for Toronto at this point.
• The Red Sox appear to be the biggest player left to acquire Halladay. The team is still intent on keeping negotiations open with Toronto, but Ryan Westmoreland, Casey Kelly and Daniel Bard are off limits. One executive feels the Red Sox now have the best chance to acquire Halladay. Rumor has it the Jays have already turned down a Red Sox proposal. Both sides are denying the Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden and Westmoreland offer for Halladay, but something was declined.
• Halladay will accept a deal to Boston and would consider one to Texas. Remember, Roy has a full no-trade clause, but isn't expected to invoke it if he's traded. If Texas can figure out its financial situation, I still like them the best to acquire Halladay. Everything fits there in terms of need for the player and desperation to win along with ability to add payroll and prospects to move. More than any other team so far, including the Phillies. That's why Lee is in Philadelphia now and not Halladay.
• Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley are non-starters for the Dodgers in terms of acquiring Halladay. I don't think the Blue Jays would even be bold enough to ask for Billingsley.

8:41 PM: The latest rumor has the Jays asking for Clay Buchholz, Casey Kelly and another high level prospect, but Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein does not want to give up Buchholz and Kelly.

7:45 PM: The Roy Halladay rumor machine chugs along and is sure to gain steam as the week goes on. 

• Though there have been earlier reports that Blue Jays general manager JP Riccardi was instituting a July 28th deadline, that seams like nothing but talk.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Riccardi is prepared to negotiatie until the 4pm deadline Friday.  
• The Blue Jays high asking price has taking the Rays out of discussions for Halladay for now.  However, Ed Price notes that the Rays are still interested in and Victor Martinez Cliff Lee from the Indians.  There's also the possibility that they deal Scott Kazmir to the Angels. That last one seems a bit out of left field, pardon the pun.
• Negotiations between the Phillies and Blue Jays do not appear to be going very far at the moment according to Jayson Stark of espn.com.  The Blue Jays are still asking for JA Happ, Kyle Drabek and Dominic Brown.  Some think that the what the Jays are askign for is reasonable.  Jon Heyman says that there is a "5% chance" the Jays and Phillis consumate something.  The Phillies may move to Cliff Lee if Halladay doesn't work out.
• Gordon Edes of Yahoo! Sports heard that the Red Sox might offer Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard, Michael Bowden, Junichi Tazawa and Casey Kelly.  This seems crazy to me.  That's the Red Sox top 3, arguably 4 with Tazawa, piching prospects.  Nevertheless, word out of Boston is that the Red Sox are trying to do something, whether it be Halladay or Victor Martinez or someone else.
• Some of the Blue Jays expect Halladay to stay with the Jays.  So do I.
• The Yankees are not interested in trading away their prospects or adding any more salary to their bloated payroll.

Plenty of links to pass along regarding the flury of activity surroudning Roy Halladay.

• The Mets and Blue Jays discussed Halladay, but didn't get much further than that.  Halladay's not going to the other New York team either.
• Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says that the Cardinals are still in the hunt for Halladay.
• Are the Phillies able to acquire Halladay without including star pitcher Kyle Drabek?  Todd Zolecki thinks so.  I don't.  Buster Olney of espn.com feels the Phils should overpay for Halladay.  Does that mean including Drabek?  The Phillies are also looking beyond Halladay.
• The Dodgers should be players for Halladay, Tom Singer argues.  In addition to the Dodgers, the Brewers and Giants are still interested in Halladay.  Both of these teams seem unlikely.  The Brewers and probably not interested in adding Halladay's salary and certainly can't resign him.  The Giants need hitting help, not pitching help.
• Halladay appears willing to accept a trade.  He does have a full no trade clause if he was so inclined to stay in Toronto.
• The Blue Jays are mandating a July 28th trade deadline for Halladay.  I do not think they'd actually stick to this, but I do agree with JP Riccardi's othe sentiment that he's unlikely to trade Halladay.  Joey Fosko of the Boston Hearld thinks a deal is more likely after the season.  I agree with this as well.

The Roy Halladay trade watch rolls on. 

• Mike Lupica of The New York Daily News does not feel that the Yankees should feel a need to acquire Halladay from Jays.  I don't think they have the prospects to get a deal done anyway and I'm sure JP Riccardi would like to avoid trading him within the division anyway.  The Yankees are safe, Mike.
• The Dodgers would considering going after Cliff Lee or Halladay but for the moment are looking at relievers.
• The Cardinals are not interested in trading Colby Rasmus for Halladay.  This is the type of approach that is NOT going to land Halladay.
• Roy Halladay mania in Philadelphia has turned even the casual fan into an expert scout.  In an effort to find rational to trade Michael Taylor (and others) for Halladay, people are finding holes in his swing.  A month ago, most people had no idea who Taylor even was.  As I said from the beginning, I don't think the Phillies will get a Halladay trade done.  The urgency simply can't be there after winning the World Series, so they're unlikely to make the "Godfather offer" that it's going to take to get Halladay. 
• On ESPN Radio this morning, ESPN's Jayson Stark had the following to say about a Halladay-to-Philly trade, "I think if he gets traded, [Philadelphia] is the place, but I think they're having a huge debate right now about how much to give up ... they're like a lot of teams, they are hoping that if they wait, the price will come down, and my sense is the price isn't going to come down a lot."  Peter Gammons feels differently: "I talked to J.P. Ricciardi yesterday, and he was still [saying] 'it's 50-50.' The Blue Jays are looking at the Phillies farm system ... I think Texas is certainly dabbling, they call it a long shot, but they're in it. I think it can happen with the Phillies, but it'll be a steep price."  My money is on Halladay staying in Toronto, but after that I like the 'long shot' Texas.

The latest news and rumors from espn.com's Buster Olney.

• How to get Roy Halladay: "It's the guy who calls [Toronto GM] JP Ricciardi and says, 'OK, I want Halladay and I know the price is going to hurt, but let's get it done,'" said a baseball official.
• If the Phillies are going to land Halladay, they're certainly going to have to give up Kyle Drabek, Jason Donald and JA Happ, if not Michael Taylor as well.  Donald's injury might scare the Blue Jays away from even a solid offer like this one. 
• Derrick Norris, a fourth round draft pick by the Washington Nationals in 2007 has been playing very well for the Nationals Single A team.
• Olney feels that Jason Bay and Matt Holliday will set the market for the other depending upon who signs first.  Amazingly, it now seems like Bay will get more money than Holliday, who's struggled a bit in Oakland.
• Jarrod Washburn has been the subject of trade rumors over the last two years and recently hinted at retirement (that'll hurt his trade value).  Now he's saying he's interested in staying with Seattle after this season. 
• Russell Branyon and Erik Bedard could also bring a much better return to the Mariners if they resign them vs. moving them to another team.

Yesterday brought word that the Blue Jays are willing to listen to offers for ace Roy Halladay. Today there's plenty of reaction and speculation.  Let's take a look.

• An intial report has the Phillies as the "leaders" for Halladay, but that is likely only based on their obvious interest in acquiring a pitcher...any pitcher.  What can the Phillies really offer the Blue Jays?  Shortstop Jason Donald is considered their best prospect and after that they have a few 50-100 range ranked prospects, but not the haul that the Jays are likely looking for.
• Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated notes that the Jays were interested in Donald last year. 
• Heyman speculates about how impressive the Giants roster would be if Halladay were added.  That would give them four former Cy Young award winners AND Matt Cain.  Certainly Barry Zito and Randy Johnson are not the same pitchers, but they're pretty good for #4 and #5 pitchers. 
• While the White Sox would not trade Gordon Beckham for Jake Peavy Heyman says they'd consider moving the prospect for Halladay.  I don't entirely understand this unless they actually like that Halladay is only signed through 2010 while Peavy is under contract through 2013.
• The Cardinals seem unlikely to have the prospects to get a trade for Halladay done.
• Phillies general manager Rubin Amaro Jr. said that the Phillies do have the financial flexibility to add an ace pitcher like Halladay. 
• Joel Sherman of The New York Post confirms the sentiment that the Phillies are in the lead for Halladay and notes that the Rangers and Cardinals could be players as well (as we indicated yesterday).  
• In his discussion with Sherman Blue Jays general manager JP Riccardi noted that discussions with other teams has been very preliminary and while they're always interested in teams' best prospect, if they got a shortstop out of the deal, that would be preferable.  However, Halladay does have a no trade clause and has already provided Riccardi with a list of teams that he is not interested in playing for.  The Jays are able to afford Halladay for 2010 if they need to, so Riccardi is trying to give the impression that they are not desperate to move their star pitcher.  He does not, however, think they'd be able to resign him after 2010. 
• Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein has given no indication that the team is interested in acquiring Halladay.  That's a bit of a misnomer.  I'm sure they're very interested, but just not for the price tag that it will realistically take to get him.
• Lyle Weber of mlb.com throws out major leaguers Erick Aybar, Joe Saunders or Ervin Santana and minor leaguers Brandon Wood, Sean O'Sullivan and Jordan Walden as possible pieces to group together in a package offer for Halladay.  It seems unlikely that the Jays would be interested in Aybar or Saunders, but Santana could get their attention along with Wood.

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.

Nick Cafardo from the Boston Globe has his latest regarding the winter hot stove:

• The Tigers are looking at relievers Trevor Hoffman, David Weathers, Arthur Rhodes and Joe Beimel.
• JP Riccardi has adamantly denied that the team is interested in trading Roy Halladay.
• The Reds, Giants and Rays are rumored to be interested in acquiring Jeremy Hermida from the Marlins.
• If the Dodgers can not retain Manny Ramirez, Pat Burrell, Bobby Abreu and Jermaine Dye appear to be the back up options.
• The Angels and Brewers are still possible trade partners for the Padres and Jake Peavy.
• Cafardo believes that the Nationals are interested in Ken Griffey Jr.

Let's take a look at a few links regarding the AJ Burnett rumors today:

• Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Braves general manager Dave Wren confirmed that the team has made an offer to Burnett.  Reading between the lines, it seems as if the 5th year of the contract is an option and not guaranteed. 
• The Yankees are poised to make an offer soon, likely tomorrow.
• Blue Jays general manager JP Riccardi believes that they will lose Burnett.

After the demand for espn.com's Jayson Stark's most recent article, let's not delay and get to his next one:

• The list of available closers is long and can be broken down into tiers. Tier 1: Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, Trevor Hoffman, Kerry Wood. Teir II: Jason Isringhausen, Brandon Lyon, Eric Gagne, Juan Cruz and Chad Cordero. Tier III (not really a tier, but those available via trade): JJ Putz, Bobby Jenks, George Sherrill, Huston Street, Jose Valverde and Matt Capps.
• The list of teams interested in closers, however, is short: Mets, Indians, Brewers, Rangers, Tigers and possibly the Cardinals.
• Many teams have filled their closer rolls already: Rockies: Manny Corpas, Marlins, Matt Lindstrom, Cubs: Carlos Marmol, Padres: Heath Bell.
• Jose Arredondo could wind up the closer to replace K-Rod in Los Angeles.
• Rumors are that the Mets will sign K-Rod to a four year deal around $50-$55M, but Stark doesn't think the years make sense for the Mets.
• However, if the Mariners would part with Putz, the Mets may consider trading for him rather than signing any free agent.
• JP Riccardi continued to quell rumors that the Blue Jays are interested in Manny Ramirez.
• While the Angeles remain an unlikely suitor for Jake Peavy, if the team signs Mark Teixeira, they won't have a lot of money left to sign a free agent pitcher and may wind up pursuing the trade route.
• Because of concerns about Russell Martin's health, the Dodgers inquired about how much it would take to sign Jason Varitek.
• There are at least a dozen teams interested in Raul Ibanez: Mets, Phillies, Cubs, Cardinals, Nationals, Braves, Rays, Blue Jays, Rangers (pending Milton Bradley), Angels (pending Garrett Anderson), and Mariners.