Macho Row is on Halladay Watch...again

Remember this guy? He's back in the rumor mill. AP Photo

I don't expect anything to really come out of this, but with the baseball general managers meeting now in Chicago the rumors are once again stirring about the Phillies being a possible team in the front-running for Toronto Blue Jays ace pitcher Roy Halladay.

If you recall the Blue Jays were shopping around their start pitcher during the season and the Phillies were long considered the best bet to make a deal for him. But Toronto had too high of an asking price, turning down a similar deal with the addition of JA Happ that ended up going to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Cliff Lee, a move that clearly went as a pleasant and rewarding one for a "second choice".

Now Jim Salisbury of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that although Ruben Amaro has announced his pecking order for the off-season as being "Third base, bullpen, bench," there is no reason to believe they would not improve their starting pitching if the right move could be made.

The Phils' attempt to build a better bullpen this winter apparently won't stop them from trying to strengthen their starting rotation.
More than one baseball official with knowledge of the Phillies' off-season plan said today that the team remains very much in the picture to acquire Toronto Blue Jays righthander Roy Halladay.
- Jim Salisbury, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 11/9/2009

Salisbury goes on to say that Phillies pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, as he was this summer, is still untouchable. Halladay does want to win now and the Phillies, who have been to two World Series' the past two seasons, seem like one of the most attractive clubs to give him a chance at that. And to be honest another top starting pitcher would certainly not hurt this team.

But acquiring Halladay will be costly, both in prospects given up and in salary. The pitcher is due $15.75 million in 2010, but the Phillies are in a position where salaries almost are a second thought for top players. With the Phillies in what could be the best era of the franchise there is no reason to hold anything back for a chance to win again.

As Salisbury says though there could likely be a large number of teams involved in the Halladay Sweepstakes this off-season, but expect the Phillies to remain one of the most popular names in the mix. It is certainly worth keeping an eye on.