Deciding the short-term future of Roy Halladay will have a long-term impact on the Blue Jays.
These are very dangerous times for the Toronto Blue Jays. With the ticket-buying public displaying an unprecedented level of apathy, the next week -- with Roy Halladay on the trading block -- could provide a watershed in regards to the relevance of this team on the Toronto sporting landscape.
As the clock ticks down towards the trade deadline, it now appears, based upon the comments coming from Jays general manager J.P Ricciardi, that the team is trying to deflect some of the blame on this whole episode back at Halladay, which is a dangerous public relations tact to be taking a this time.
Let's face it folks, Halladay is one of the most beloved athletes to ever ply his trade in Toronto. He's been an above board guy, never involved in anything untoward, the greatest pitcher ever developed by this franchise whose work ethic and determined approach to his craft have been unparalleled in these parts.
And at the other end of this argument sits Ricciardi, whose approval rating has never been lower, with calls for his firing getting louder and louder and signs starting to pop up at the Rogers Centre with messages like "KEEP DOC!!! AND TRADE RICCIARDI" and "FIRE JP" becoming more noticeable. After three months of being seen but rarely, Ricciardi has once again taken a liking to the cameras and microphones and has been stirring up the situation. After intimating that he wouldn’t have much to say on this subject until it played out, Ricciardi has started popping up on the Jim Rome show in the U.S. and on the Fan 590 here in Toronto. I guess, in the end, he just can't help himself.
Personally, if I want to hear what the team’s stance is on all of this, I'd rather hear what interim CEO Paul Beeston has to say. If a deal does come together for Halladay, I'm sure that Beeston will have to take this to the owner for their approval. Plus, based upon their individual track records, I think we all have more faith in Beeston than with Ricciardi.
So, getting back to my original point for this column, it's now appearing that the Blue Jays are in a lose-lose situation. If they keep Halladay and he plays out the remainder of his contract, due to expire following the 2010 season, the Jays still don't have the team around him to compete for a playoff spot a year from now, no matter what spin the front office puts on it. As it stands right now, the Blue Jays are on the hook for $75.58 million (this includes Halladay and the recently released B.J. Ryan) of guaranteed contracts for next season. That doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room to add much for next season if the team is truly going to contend, which has been mentioned on several fronts, next season. And if they trade Halladay, the return will likely be in the form of prospects and/or major league players/pitchers, none of which will make the team instant contenders.
If it's true that Halladay did indeed go to the Jays and tell them he intended on testing out free agency, which is well within his rights, I have no problem with that. He's been as loyal as any Blue Jay that I can remember. Why would Halladay want to re-up with this team? It's not like they have a plethora of high-profile prospects on the verge of breaking onto the major league 25-man roster. Injuries have forced several pitchers to arrive before their time and while they have performed admirably under trying circumstances, none of them -- Brett Cecil, Marc Rzepczynski, Bobby Ray -- are top of the rotation starters. Even Ricky Romero, who has pitched well but has been inconsistent, is, at best, a No. 3 starter on a playoff-bound team. David Purcey, a first-round pick from 2004, was part of the rotation to the start this season but has seemingly lost his way at Triple-A with a 4.62 ERA and 52 walks in 87.2 innings.
And when you scour the minor league stats pack that is provided by the Jays' media relations department on a daily basis, none of their recent high picks are tearing it up. Top prospect Travis Snider, who started the season with the club before his weaknesses were exposed, has suffered through back problems since returning to the minors and is currently hitting just .226 in 25 games with 26 strikeouts. First baseman David Cooper, their first pick in the 2008 draft, has just four home runs and 39 RBI in 84 games at Double-A. J.P. Arencibia, their top catching prospect, is hitting just .237 with 10 HR, 44 RBI and 72 strikeouts in 75 games with Las Vegas (AAA). And Kevin Ahrens, chosen in the first round of the 2007 along with Arencibia, has been slow to develop and hitting just .210 with 2 HR, 25 RBI and 61 strikeouts with Dunedin (A).
So, you see, no matter what spin Ricciardi and his people put on things, this team is in woeful shape with or without Roy Halladay. Putting some of the blame for this mess at the feet of their ace starter was not the best tactical move. Not saying anything at all would have been the best course of action at a time when this once-proud franchise is running out of fans to turn off.
