Subcribe to this Feed
It’s Just Speculation: Halladay to the Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are in dire need of another arm at the top of their rotation. They are also the team best situated with the talent needed to land Halladay if the Blue Jays decide to deal Halladay away. On the final day of the soft deadline (as set by the Jays) of the sweepstakes, the Phillies are the most talked about team in the hunt.
Apparently Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi has asked for a package of prospects that includes starter Kyle Drabek and outfielder Dominic Brown, as well as starter J.A. Happ. But that was turned down by the Phillies and countered with a package of Happ, starter Carlos Carrasco, shortstop Jason Donald, and outfielder Michael Taylor, to which they were rebuffed.
Can the two teams find some middle ground?
The Blue Jays look like they are interested in two starters. But what the Phillies want to give up and the the Jays desire are two different things. If the Jays value Drabek more than Happ, could middle ground be found by having a package that included Drabek and Carrasco?
One position that Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi specifically noted that he wanted to address in a possible trade was shortstop. Current Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins is locked in for a while, leaving prospect Jason Donald blocked at the major league level. Although he likely wouldn’t be the top prospect traded, Donald could be enticing.
This would present a scenario that would have Drabeck, Carrasco and Donald heading to Toronto for the perennial ace. Based on the reports above, it is likely not enough. An additional couple prospects may be needed to lure the Blue Jays down from Happ to Carrasco and Brown to Donald.
If the Blue Jays are uneasy about J.P. Arencibia’s ability to hit for average in the majors, they may be interested in catching prospect Lou Marson.
Then there’s a list of “C” prospects that might be able to round out a deal.
- Anthony Gose – Speedster outfielder has 56 stolen bases so far this season in A-ball.
- Mike Stutes – Innings eater that is 8-5 with a 3.71 ERA at Double-A.
- Joe Savery – 12 wins at Double-A.
But it may be Jason Knapp that could nail down the trade for the Phillies. Knapp only has a 4.01 ERA in A-ball, but he’s given up only 63 hits in 85.1 innings and has struck out 111.
A package of Drabeck, Carrasco, Donald, Marson and Knapp? That’s prospects #2, 3, 4, 5 and 9 in Baseball America’spreseason prospect list for the Phillies. It would be a tough proposal push through. Sure, they’d be able to keep Happ, Brown and outfielder Jason Taylor, but most of the rest of the farm system would be cleaned out. Could Ricciardi be enticed with a package that switched out Knapp for Stutes? It would still have four of the team’s top five prospects (as ranked before the start of the season).
It’s looks less and less likely that Halladay will get traded. But it’s fun to speculate about the possible groupings of prospects that may entice the Jays to trade him and how the prospects could help Toronto. Phillies fans, what would you give up for a year and a half of Roy Halladay?
Rookies to Look For: J.A. Happ
One of the Philadelphia Phillies upper level prospects made the NLDS roster. Pitcher J.A. Happ, who was a third round pick in 2004, has trudged his way through the minors and onto the Philllies roster. J.A., who had a couple spot appearances earlier in the season, got a September call-up and pitched well for the team. Although it’s a small sampling, he’s pitched better as a starter for them, posting a 2.28 ERA in four starts.
Happ has a high-80s fastball that he combines with his changeup to make up most of his pitches during a game. Occationally he uses a slider and a curve to keep hitters off-balance, but there have been mixed reviews of each pitch. Some like the tight spin on his more promising slider, whereas others have said that it needs more work, even grouping it together with his curve due to its slurvy-esque action. Phuture Phillies has broken down his pitch selection a little more in a September 23rd article.
Pitcher scouting website 60ft 6in has a short scouting report on him as well. It looks as if he has a good mix of speeds on his pitches to offset the relative slowness of his fastball. J.A. will have to rely on good location to stick in the rotation long-term.
Overall, Happ has put up pretty good numbers throughout the minors, with the exception of a down 2007. He’s also struck out 545 hitters in the minors in only 528 innings. If he’s not traded in the off-season, Happ could be a nice addition to the back of the Phillies rotation for 2009.
