Scott Carson

Stats man Scott Carson is now in his 17th season as "third man in the booth" during Blue Jays telecasts.

Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay.

Rumours are flying fast and furious about possible offers for 'Doc' Halladay.

Just because there's no news on the Roy Halladay trade front doesn't mean that a deal couldn't be under consideration.

Sure, Alex Anthopoulos went about his business at his first Winter Meetings as a Major League general manager with stealth-like precision. Unlike J.P. Ricciardi, who never met a camera or microphone that he didn't like, GM--AA played his cards close to the vest like he was Phil Ivey. And there is nothing wrong with that tact. It worked for Pat Gillick (can't remember hearing a whisper about the Alomar/Carter-Fernandez/McGriff blockbuster back in December of 1990 before it went down).

Sure the fans would like to have the odd trade morsel to think about as they shovel out of their first significant snowfall, but keeping information, spoken in confidence between two traders is probably a better tact than letting news constantly leak out as has been the case over the previous eight winters. Who knows how many deals fell through due to loose lips?

So from what I can gather, there are five teams in on serious discussions to land the best pitcher available this off-season. The Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Phillies and Rays have reportedly taken meetings with GM--AA to inquire about what it would take to add Halladay to their rotations. I say 'reportedly' because the Jays' rookie G.M. has made it his policy not to comment publicly about any trade talks. That means that the names of players that could possibly land in Toronto are all strictly rumour from outside the Blue Jays, but here they are: Yankees (RHP Phil Hughes, RHP Joba Chamberlain, C Jesus Montero), Red Sox (RHP Clay Buchholz, RHP/SS Casey Kelly), Angels (LHP Joe Saunders, SS Erick Aybar, OF Peter Bourjos), Phillies (LHP J.A. Happ, OF Domonic Brown, OF Michael Taylor) and Rays (CF B.J. Upton, RHP Wade Davis).

Here are my thoughts on what each of these teams are reportedly offering:

YANKEES -- Depending on what the Jays plans would be for Hughes (starter or late inning reliever), I would still take him 100 out of 100 times over Chamberlain. Hughes arrived in New York with much hype and it took him until his second go-around to start fulfilling his promise. He still has far more upside than Joba who, I believe has flat-lined and is a much better set-up reliever than a starter. (Plus, in my humble estimation, he's been grossly over-hyped). The key to this deal is Montero, a top-hitting prospect but a little ragged behind the plate. He's been compared to a teenage Albert Pujols. High praise indeed. Sounds to me like any deal with the Yankees would have to involve Montero.

RED SOX -- Buchholz would take over as the ace of the Toronto staff despite never being higher than a No. 3 in Boston. Kelly is the top prospect in the Sox system and it would be a real coup to wrestle him away. Another name being whispered to be part of a deal would be OF Ryan Westmoreland, considered the No. 2 Red Sox prospect, who has above-average speed and power potential. If they could get these three, trading within the division would be worth it.

ANGELS -- The key to any deal with the Angels would be shortstop Aybar, a slick fielder who the Jays during the first dangling of Halladay last July. I'd be more inclined to ask for RHP Jered Weaver than Saunders as a I fear the rotation without 'Doc' would become to southpaw heavy and, quite frankly, I don't see Saunders being any higher than a third starter in a playoff-bound rotation. Bourjos would bring speed to the Jays' station-to-station offence, although Vernon Wells and his untradeable contract would stand in the way of him playing his natural CF position. This deal makes the most sense of the rumours I've been hearing.

PHILLIES -- Halladay's preference - and remember he has a full no-trade - is to stay in the A.L., but the Phillies spring training facility in Clearwater, Florida is not far from his off-season home. The rumoured principles in this deal have not changed since last season's trade deadline and still don't involve Kyle Drabek, the Phillies' top pitching prospect. But Happ showed last season that he's a potential top-of-the-rotation starter and everyone raves about the five-tool skills of Brown. Interesting that as the meetings wind down, the name Cole Hamels has started to surface as possibly being involved. But judging by his "I can't wait for the season to end" comment during the World Series, I'm not sure his attitude would be right for a rebuilding team like the Jays.

RAYS -- This rumour came straight of left field earlier in the week with word that Davis, the top pitching prospect in the Rays system, was on the table along with multi-talented but motivationally-challenged Upton. Davis is just the type of arm that the Jays would require to be involved with the trading of their long-time ace, but Upton's stay in Toronto might be short with Wells unmoveable in centre. Perhaps if GM--AA could bring another team into the mix, then this rumour might pick up some steam. It would be interesting to see if Halladay would sign long-term with the Rays, although their proximity to his Florida home would be a plus.

With the Blue Jays braintrust having returned to Toronto, the window for an imminent deal appears to be closing for now. But that's not to say that between now and the beginning of spring training, just over eight weeks away, the discussions can't back go up to DEFCON-4 in short order.

Rule 5 results

The Blue Jays added a new arm to the bullpen mix through the annual Rule 5 draft by selecting 24-year old RHP Zechry Zinicola from the Washington Nationals system. Special Assistant to the G.M. Dana Brown, who came over to the team from the Nationals front office, described Zinicola as having a fastball that tops out in the mid-90's and a "strong" slider. According to the rules of the draft, Zinicola must stay on the teams Major League roster for the duration of 2010 season or be offered back to Washington for half of the $50,000 that it cost to select him.

The Blue Jays have, traditionally, fared well in previous Rule 5 drafts, having selected the likes of Willie Upshaw (1977), George Bell (1980), Jim Gott (1981), Jim Acker (1982), Kelly Gruber (1983) and Manny Lee (1985), all who went on to successful Major League careers.