THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays used to ignore all Roy Halladay trade inquiries.

Not anymore.

General manager J.P. Ricciardi said Tuesday that he's willing to listen to offers for the six-time all-star, a significant shift in organizational thinking about the franchise's bedrock pitcher.

Ricciardi attempted to downplay the change in outlook, insisting he was by no means shopping or eager to deal Halladay.

But it's difficult to interpret his comments as anything other than an open call for interested clubs to ante up for arguably the best pitcher in baseball, setting the stage for perhaps the toughest and most important decision in his eight seasons as GM.

"I don't think anything has changed, I just think, 'You know what, why not listen? The worst we can say is no,"' Ricciardi told The Canadian Press.

"If someone wants Roy and they're willing to blow us away, we'd be willing to listen, that's all I'm saying. That doesn't mean we'd trade him, that doesn't mean we're looking to trade him. All it means is we'd be willing to listen.

"In the past we weren't willing to listen, and we figured let's just see what someone's got out there and what someone is willing to offer."

Halladay, who has a no-trade clause, has long said his sole remaining goal is to win a World Series, ideally in Toronto. But he said that if the team wanted to change directions by dealing him, he wouldn't necessarily stand in the way.

"I want to stay, but I think it's a situation you have to evaluate," Halladay told reporters before Tuesday night's game at Tampa Bay. "I'm really not at that situation just yet. If something does come up, you weigh your options at that point. I hate to put the cart in front of the horse and start saying 'Do I want to do that?' I think you just evaluate the situations when they come."

Ricciardi's comments expanded on those he made in recent interviews with a pair of U.S. outlets that seemed to invite offers for Halladay.

Those statements were barely hours old when commentaries on why various teams should make a pitch for Halladay (10-2, 2.79 ERA in 16 starts), and what it would take to get him began to fill the blogosphere.

That fervour will only pick up as the July 31 trade deadline nears, and various contenders weigh the merits of gutting their farm systems to land a true difference-maker.

"A lot of this is going to be a mob mentality," said Ricciardi. "We're not inclined to move him, we're more inclined to listen, that's all."

Still, that is a marked departure from talk last season about a contract extension for the 32-year-old, who is making US$14.25 million and is due $15.75 million in 2010.

Ricciardi was vague when asked if payroll considerations -- the Blue Jays have $82.45 million committed to eight players including Halladay next year -- were a factor.

"I'm not so sure payroll-wise where we're going to be able to be after 2010. I'm not so sure that the player wants to stay here beyond 2010. I'm not sure of those things," he said. "So those are all things we have to weigh out. He's under contract through next year and worst-case scenario, he does not sign back with us and we get two draft picks."

Interim CEO Paul Beeston declined to comment on dealing Halladay but did say the team's payroll for next season is still a work in progress.

The Blue Jays payroll this year is slightly over $80 million after plans to spend $105 million were shelved after the economy tanked. Those plans also called for a payroll of $110 million for 2010, a figure that seems unlikely now.

"We will be getting into it over the next month," said Beeston. "We'll be looking at next year, we'll do a three-year plan and a five-year plan as best we can project it."

The only salary commitments the Blue Jays have between 2011-14 are to Vernon Wells, Alex Rios and Aaron Hill worth about $40 million per season.

While any potential deal would be terribly traumatic for the team's long-suffering fans who love Halladay like few other players in team history, it also would strip the team of its safety net in the starting rotation and all but officially signal a white flag on the current season.

After a hot start the Blue Jays have faded badly in recent weeks and are stumbling toward the all-star break as the toll of injuries and underperformance weighs them down.

Ricciardi said he would "have to evaluate the whole month and see where we're going," ahead of the trade deadline, saying a turnaround would prompt him to add players.

But if the team continues to flounder, the vultures will circle and Ricciardi will need to make a deal that sets up the team for a future run with different players.

Ricciardi wouldn't name his price for Halladay, but said, "I'd think we'd know if someone was real serious. If someone was very serious, we know we can get two draft picks, so if someone wants to offer us two equivalent-type draft picks, that's not going to make us move Roy Halladay."

A first-round pick, 17th overall in 1995, Halladay has spent his entire career with the Blue Jays, amassing a career mark of 141-68 with a 3.47 ERA in 297 games, 271 of them starts. He won the Cy Young Award in 2003 and was a runner-up last year.

Just like in each of the past three seasons, Halladay's been the difference between a winning record and a losing one for the Blue Jays.

Take away Halladay's 10-2 mark this year and the Jays would be 33-39 before Tuesday's play. Instead, they're on the fringes of contention, but that status is disappearing quickly.

"The 25 guys on the field have done a great job," said Ricciardi. "If we play well in Tampa, play well in Baltimore, we come out of the break and we play well, then we're going to look to add something. That's going to be indicative of if we're buyers or sellers.

"If we're sellers that doesn't mean we're selling everybody or that Roy Halladay would be traded."