Ricciardi: Doc not interested in extension
During a radio interview on The FAN590 prior to Thursday’s Blue Jays-Indians tilt at Rogers Centre, general manager J.P. Ricciardi shed a little more light on why Toronto is suddenly willing to shop ace Roy Halladay.
“What’s changed is Roy has told us that he’s going to test the free-agent market,” Ricciardi said.
Halladay is under contract for $14.25 million this season and $15.75 million in 2010, which is the final year under his current deal. The Blue Jays originally planned on discussing an extension with Halladay this coming offseason, but Ricciardi’s comments make it clear that’s not going to happen.
The chances of Toronto retaining Halladay seemed slim already, considering the fact that the club has trimmed its payroll and the pitcher has expressed that he wants to have a chance to play October baseball. With the Jays in fourth place in the AL East, and a rotation filled with injuries and young arms, contending soon doesn’t seem realistic.
Halladay is scheduled to start for the Jays on Tuesday in Seattle and Ricciardi doesn’t want the pitcher taking the mound with the thought that he might be traded in the following three days leading up to the July 31 Deadline. Ricciardi said Toronto’s internal deadline of Tuesday is flexible, depending on how close the club might be to a deal.
“If we’re down the road with something, obviously the deadline can fluctuate,” Ricciardi told reporters earlier Thursday morning. “If we’re not down the road by the 28th, nothing’s going to happen.”
The team considered to be the front-runner to land Halladay continues to be the Phillies. Even though Philadelphia is believed to be opposed to including top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek in a possible deal, the Blue Jays sent assistant general manager Tony LaCava to scout Drabek’s latest start on Wednesday.
The Brewers are also considered to have serious interest in trading for Halladay. Other teams who have been tied to Halladay in various reports include the Dodgers, Cardinals, White Sox, Rangers, Red Sox and Yankees. Ricciardi said only a few teams have approached him with serious interest.
“Some are serious and some I would say are delirious,” Ricciardi said during the radio interview.
–JB
Major League Bastian 
Glad to hear the Brewers are still in the mix, but must include Matt Gamel and Alcides Escobar as a minimum start to the deal.
Rumors are that Scutaro, Frasor and Downs are also being offered. I would expect Wells, Rios, Bautista, Rolen, Overbay an Macdonald are also on the table.
Considering we will not compete next year, this is what should be happening, imo.
Gsays, I would have included Jeremy Jeffress in that deal too, but he is kinda head case and injured for the year I think. Escobar has some maturity problems I hear, but he has definately recieved glowing admiration from Baseball America. Wonder also if they are willing to part with young Canadian prospect Brett Lawrie? We aren’t really looking for another 2nd baseman in our system, but the guy comes with high praise, even though he isn’t overachieving in A-ball.
I could see that Halladay news coming, although I bet things would change if we actually competed in 2010!. Seems pretty unlikely now that we will do anything in that year – looking at the way Wells and Rios are swinging. And beyond for that matter – looking at their contracts. I don’t see a trade as a great opporitunity to improve the team, but at least a chance to break even and give some hope for the distant future (i.e. when those enormous contracts play their course).
I would have rather had a deal come without all this hoopla, though. Now we know a deal needs to be done, and so does every other team in baseball. Good job J.P. I agree with Jeff Blair saying a team that SHOULD be trading with us is the Dodgers! Halladay would be downright nasty in that division! The Dodgers have a couple young pitchers, but nobody really wraking in the Minors. I heard some of their young talent already in MLB might be an option? I really liked James MacDonald coming into this year, but the young man needs to learn how to find the strike zone. That might come with time.
You might not find a bigger Halladay fan than me (i.e. I’m going to have change my screen name), but my outlook on the Jays future right now is bleak enough that it doesn’t matter anymore. Deal or no deal. lol. Where is Howie Mandel? We are paying the ultimate price for our two underachieving ‘so called’ sluggers.
http://homerfoodandhistory.mlblogs.com/
The rumor is, The Jays have asked for Lawrie and a pitcher ( but I have no idea who that is) along with Gamel and Escobar. I think the issue on Escobar is he’s blocked by J.J. Hardy at the MLB level, and his hitting early in the year wasn’t what it needed to be. But his hitting has improved, his defence is Gold Glove material and he’s only 22.
My take is we’re paying the price for our two under performers and the massive contracts we gave them. We’re also paying the price for poor draft picks by JP. We have lots of kids in the minors, but few who can become bangers at this level and the few we do have aren’t being promoted, instead we’re playing a couple of losers called Millar and Delucci.
Why in **** are they recalling Inglett, what a waste of space move that is.
Dellucci was DFA’d after the game. Recalled Inglett.
I’m still wondering about Buck Coats myself.
From Bastian’s twitter:
Writers crammed in an elevator, ran into JP and interviewed about earlier comments on Halladay.
Ricciardi: “I think I made this clear real early that Doc wanted to test the free-agent market. I think we said that all along.”
Ricciardi: Halladay has given the Jays a list of teams he’d be willing to approve a trade to.
Anyone who’s ever negotiated a business deal knows one never lies when one knows who ever you’re talking to knows you’re lying-like in JP’s first statement.
And one never tells whoever you”re negotiating with, that the product-this case Halladay-tells you whom he’d be prepared to accept a trade to. You hold your cards close to your vest, keep your damn mouth shut and let the bidders make the offers.
Beeston, you’d better put a muzzle on this ******* before he screws up this organization more so than he already has. Putting JP in a room with guys like Cashman, Gillick,Theo Epstein, Doug Melvin or others to negotiate the Halladay trade is like throwing a kid that can’t swim into a swimming pool full of sharks.
JP never knows when to shut up, he will screw this up and either get raped or not do a deal that would benefit the club and then simply say the offers weren’t good enough. Please muzzle this ******* and handle this negotiation yourself.
Man I am starting to agree with all the JP detractors on these boards. That conversation today with all those references to “we’ve said all along” were just so bogus. In this day of youtube and cell phone video, people can’t get away with that kind of duplicity. I guess keeping Doc is out of the question, so now it becomes how best to help ourselves WHEN we lose him. DARN!!!
Here you go, sports fans: The Mt Horeb Mustard museum in Mt Horeb Wisconsin was founded by Barry Levenson, a former Assistant DA for Wisconsin. It is based on a collection of prepared mustards he started in 1986 when he was despondent over the failure of The Boston Red Sox to win the World Series.
This is just to inform anybody who is despondent over the failure of the 1999 Blue Jays to win the World Series that there are a lot of positives to come out of failure. For those of you in need of a spiritual uplift, you can visit the museum website at: http://www.mustardweb.com/
Typo: Of course, I meant to say the 2009 Blue Jays. If anybody is still despondent over the failure of the 1999 Blue Jays to win the World Series, they are probably in need of something more than a little spiritual uplifting.
Looks like JP finally ********** the wrong player and now he has to eat his words.
Link from JB’s Tweet
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/baseball/ricciardi-reacts-to-rift-rumours/article1229364/
What an dumb ******* JP is. I didn’t think Roy had said anything about anything. If Halladay did want to be traded and I don’t think he does, he would make this request very discreetly and ask it be kept confidential knowing this public circus doesn’t help the Jays or Roy Halladay.
In my view Roy Halladay is as classy a professional athlete there is and we’re damn fortunate to have him as a Blue Jay. Both Roy and his wife represent the Jays in the best possible light, working with multiple charities and helping under privileged kids with class. When he pitches, he’s the best there is, bar none.
The real questions in my mind is why did JP want to make this a public circus and why does he want to piss off Roy Halladay? What makes this jerk tick?
In my view, this has to be JP’s final kick at this franchise. This idiot not only needs to be fired with just cause and never ever paid another Blue Jay penny, he needs his *** kicked out of town TODAY and Beeston needs to immediately name either Alex Anthopoulos or Tony LaCava interim GM.
In addition Beeston needs to personally take over any discussions of Halladay trades, although I can’t imagine anything good at all coming from this 3 ring circus created by JP. I can also guarantee Halladay would never consider re-signing with the Jays if JP is still in charge-I mean would you?????
I knew it, I just knew JP was lying his ******* *** off again, I just knew it.