Comments on: The Sox want Halladay? Fine.

By: The other Chris H

The other Chris H — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:35:57 +0000

That is basically my scare from trading Montero, why trade a guy who’s worst case scenario is a 5th hitting full time DH who is under 28… Worked pretty well for Adam Lind and they found a position for him this year in LF.

By: The other Chris H

The other Chris H — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:34:20 +0000

Because signing another 31 year old to an overrated 16 million dollar a year contract is ridiculous! Burnett is over paid for what he brings to the team but we were starved for pitching so we gave it to him, now you want to give that same contract or more to another 31 year old but this time with worse overall stuff?

By: MJ

MJ — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:14:51 +0000

I agree with Moshe that you can’t judge him on a small sample of starts after he came off the DL. Unlike the scouting reports surrouding Johan Santana in the the winter he was traded — everyone said Johan stopped throwing his slider, his velocity was down and that his stuff wasn’t as sharp — I haven’t heard the same things about Halladay.

If the injury was indeed the start of his decline phase, it was oddly manifested in July/September ERA’s of 3.00 and 1.47 (vs. an August ERA of 4.71). It would stand to reason that his stats would be impacted immediately after he came off the DL (June 29) andn ot a month later.

Also, I don’t think I agree that older pitchers are any more likely to get hurt than younger pitchers. I think pitchers, regardless of age, are succeptible to injury given the stress put on their arms and legs. Halladay has proven to be incredibly durable, logging in no less than 220 IP per year since 2006 and finishing fourth, third, first and second in innings pitched over the past four seasons.

Finally, having said all that, I don’t advocate any trade for Roy Hallday given the incredible expense in prospects that it would take to get a deal done. I estimate the Yanks to be about 2-3 successful Rule 4 drafts away from having a deep enough farm system that they can dip into for blockbuster trades. I don’t think we’re there yet.

By: Moshe Mandel

Moshe Mandel — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:08:01 +0000

The guy is the best pitcher in the AL and has no serious injury issues. I think looking at 3-4 rough starts and surmising that he will pitch like that in his decline phase is shortsighted. I’m not saying he will definitely be great until 38, but he is guy who is rarely “off” and seems to do alright even when he is off. I think he is as good a bet at that age as you will find.

By: Steve S.

Steve S. — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:25:36 +0000

I disagree. If you saw him pitch when he came off the DL this year, the Yanks destroyed him and he described himself as being just a bit off, not as sharp as usual. He depends on late movement on his Cut fastball and Sinker at velocity that keeps hitters honest. If he’s a little off, he can get hammered. The pitcher we saw fresh off the DL might very well be the guy who he is past 35. And of course the older he is, the more likely he is to get hurt, so even if he maintains his stuff he’ll be banged up more often.

By: Moshe Mandel

Moshe Mandel — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 04:00:37 +0000

I agree. I think Halladay will be very good for a long time. I just don’t think it would be prudent for the Yankees to make that bet when they have so much money tied up in 4-5 guys and would need to give up many prospects for him. But I agree that he is as good a bet for a 33 year old pitcher as you can get.

By: Classic Steve

Classic Steve — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 02:53:24 +0000

“Let Boston have 23 mil per year of dead weight on their books in the out years of the deal, it will affect them more than the Yanks.”

Agree that it might not be in the best interests of the Yankees to invest in the “‘Doc” for the reasons stated but disagree with the characterization that he would be “dead weight” at the end of a multi-year extension asuming that it is no longer than 5 years( ages 34- 38). Specifically, take a look at those years for another righthander the Red Sox brought in when the Yankees were ascendent- Curt Schilling.For that five year period- split between Arizona and Boston- Schilling had three Cy Young calibre years and was a primary piece for two world championshions.Halliday’s recent health has been better than Curt’s prior to these years and I think because of that Theo will correctly have no hesitation in pulling the trigger on this long-term investment.

By: MLW

MLW — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 02:39:09 +0000

I hope Brian Cashman has similar thoughts. Based on what he did NOT do re Santana my guess would be that his thoughts lie in this direction.

By: Old Ranger

Old Ranger — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:25:26 +0000

There isn’t much out there to be had, that I would part with Montero for…maybe; Johnson, Verlander or Felix. Even then, I like having a big bat sitting behind Tex and A-Rod, if the kid can hit in the bigs like he did this year…he would up Tex/A-Rods run+ by more then enough to forgo the need for a trade.

By: Tom Swift

Tom Swift — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:50:07 +0000

With Lackey, it’s just money. If the Red Sox get Halliday, they will have to lose prospects. I, too, would ordinarily prefer another year of Andy P., but if getting Lackey pushes Theo Epstein over the edge, why not do that. Or at least bluff an imminent Lackey signing.