The Yankees and Roy Halladay

Roy Halladay won’t be a Phillie.  That we know for sure.  Where he will wind up?  We’ll know by Friday night.

The Phillies acquired pitcher Cliff Lee from the Indians today, leaving one less team that will be involved in Halladay discussions.  The Blue Jays’ deadline to trade Roy Halladay has passed but the MLB trade deadline lasts until Friday.  There have been numerous rumors about where Halladay would be traded to but nothing is imminent.  The Yankees and Red Sox will remain players in the Halladay derby as long as they know that the other team each is still alive in the Halladay chase.

I have said since day one that I do not think the Yankees should trade for Halladay.  I wavered a bit when the idea of Halladay going to the Red Sox dawned on me but I am standing strong and my position has not changed.  Maybe my mind would change if I thought the Sox had a legitimate shot at acquiring Halladay but I don’t think that’s the case.  I don’t think Halladay gets traded and in the small chance he does, I don’t think he’ll be traded to the Red Sox.

It would be tough to see Halladay in Boston, it really would.  Knowing that the Yankees had the goods to get him but took a pass and he wound up in Boston would kill me.  But if it happens, it happens.  This could be a turning point for the Yankees.  I say this because when does the spending stop?  Their payroll is over $200 million.  Acquiring Halladay, then giving him an extension, pushes that number up more.  The spending has to stop somewhere.  For the Yankees to give up their young players for Halladay means that they will have to spend more money when the time comes that those young players would have made an impact on the team.  At the time the prospects would be making an impact, the Yankees will need to dig deep into their pockets for free agents to fill the void.  The spending continues and the payroll grows.  Even the Yankees have a limit and this might be telling us something.  The Yankees would love to have Halladay, no question.  But it would require the Yankees to dig back into the wallet, now and in the future.

This will be the second time we see the Yankees show some limitations.  They didn’t want to give up their prospects for Santana a couple of years ago.  They went with young pitchers in their rotation and although it didn’t work out, they still went for it and gave them a chance.  The youngsters didn’t do well and the Yankees made a huge splash in free agency over the winter.  The Yankees still gave it a shot though.  They showed some limitations.

So if the Yankees don’t trade for Halladay, that will be the second time they have showed some limitation in the last few years and gives me reason to believe they won’t have a $300 million payroll by 2014.  When will the spending stop?  I don’t know.  They could spend a fortune this upcoming offseason if they don’t win and people will say that they should have traded for Halladay and given him the money.  That’s not the point.  The point is, they gave it a shot.  They held on to the prospects.  Who knows, maybe their holding on to a gem.  Maybe they win with what they have.  Maybe they change their ways one day.  The Yankees will probably always have the highest payroll in baseball (as long as there is no cap and the Steinbrenners remain owners) but maybe they’ll slow down and let some other teams catch up.  Maybe we won’t always hear the line “Yea the Yankees won, they have the highest payroll”.

I want to see the Yankees stop buying the best and start growing the best like they once did.  Jeter, Mariano, Posada, and Pettitte were all home grown and major contributors in the 90’s dynasty.  I want to see that again.

Tags: Roy Halladay