Knuckle Curve » roy halladay

Massive Four-Team Trade Nears Completion

Stephen Kersey — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:55:19 +0000

A number of sources have confirmed that a massive four-team trade is about to go down that features Cy Young Award winners Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. The four teams involved are the Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays and the Oakland Athletics.

The Phillies will be receiving Roy Halladay and $6 million from the Blue Jays in addition to three minor leaguers (Juan Ramirez, Tyson Gillies and Phillippe Aumont) from the Mariners. The Mariners will be getting Cliff Lee from the Phillies.

The Blue Jays will get their hands on three highly regarded prospects — Kyle Drabek from the Phillies, Travis d’Arnaud from the Phillies and Brett Wallace from the A’s. The A’s will be getting minor leaguer Michael Taylor from the Blue Jays.

What is the logic behind this trade? The Phillies will be basically trading one great pitcher for another great pitcher. The reason they prefer Halladay is that they feel they can keep him around for a longer period of time. Lee, on the other hand, is likely to test free agent waters next offseason.

For the Blue Jays, they’ve been trying to rebuild by trading Halladay. The Mariners get a pitching stud to put at the top of their rotation next to Felix Hernandez, while the A’s get a minor league prospect that they have coveted.

Roy Halladay is about to be traded to the Phillies (Image: Zuma Press)

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J.P. Ricciardi: Roy Halladay Trade Deadline

Stephen Kersey — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:52:01 +0000

J.P. Ricciardi, the general manager for the Toronto Blue Jays, recently said that he will set a deadline for other teams to piece together a trade for star pitcher Roy Halladay. The date? July 28th — or a day prior to Halladay’s start on July 29th.

As of late, Halladay has been the hottest name in the trade rumor mill. Arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Halladay started for the American League in this year’s All-Star game.

On the season, Halladay has an 11-3 record to go along with a 2.73 ERA. The 6-foot-6 22-year-old is coming off of a season in which he won 20 games for the second time in his career.

What would it take to trade for Halladay? The Blue Jays aren’t going to trade him without getting a number of high-quality prospects. Many baseball experts believe that Ricciardi is looking for at least three prospects for the 32-year-old right-hander.

Halladay has pitched for the Blue Jays since 1998.

Roy Halladay Trade? (Image: Zuma Press)

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Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum to Start

Stephen Kersey — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:39:51 +0000

To begin the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Roy Halladay will be on the mound for the American League and Tim Lincecum will be on the mound for the National League.

Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays has recently been the subject of trade rumors. Considering how talented he is, that’s of little surprise. On the season, Halladay has a 2.85 ERA, a record of 10-3 and a WHIP of 1.10. He’s on his way to winning 16 or more games for the fourth straight season.

Lincecum is the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner. In 2009, he’s threatening to win the award for the second straight year. For the San Francisco Giants, Lincecum has a 10-2 record with a 2.33 ERA and a WHIP of 1.05. Last season, Lincecum was 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA. At 25, he might be the best young pitcher in the game.

The All-Star game will be played in St. Louis on Tuesday night. Lincecum was selected as the starter by Charlie Manuel, the National League manager. Joe Maddon, the American League manager, selected Halladay.

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Roy Halladay Trade Rumors – Destinations

Stephen Kersey — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:58:51 +0000

Roy Halladay, who may very well be the best pitcher in baseball, has been placed on the trade market by Toronto Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi. Halladay, who has a no trade clause in his contract, doesn’t seem upset about the possibility of being traded.

Said Halladay: “I want to stay, but I think it’s a situation you have to evaluate. 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.”

Where could he be headed. Here are a few Roy Halladay rumors about his possible destinations:

Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have the hitting to win a World Series, however their pitching needs a lot of help. Halladay could answer a lot of questions.

Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are looking for starting pitchers all around the world. They have even gone to the Dominican Republic to take a look at Pedro Martinez.

Boston Red Sox
Although they probably have enough prospects and talent to get him, the Red Sox may opt to instead hold onto their young studs.

New York Yankees
If there is a big name on the trade market, you just know the Yankees will be interested. Like with the Red Sox, do the Yankees want to trade their minor league talent for Halladay?

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Roy Halladay Hurts Groin

Stephen Kersey — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 02:43:09 +0000

Fans of the Toronto Blue Jays aren’t loving life right now. Roy Halladay, the best pitcher on the Blue Jays and perhaps the best pitcher in all of baseball, hurt his groin in the fourth inning of his start against the Florida Marlins.

His first pitch of the fourth inning went as planned. However, his second pitch left Halladay grimacing. He was soon removed from the game.

Halladay is having a fantastic season. He has a 2.53 ERA with a record of 10-1. The 32-year-old pitcher was 7-0 in his last nine starts before getting hurt on Friday.

Once removed from the game, Halladay was diagnosed with a tweaked right groin. It’s not known at this point if he’ll be forced to miss any starts for the Blue Jays.

Expert to hear more news regarding Halladay’s health on Saturday.

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Cliff Lee wins American League Cy Young Award

Stephen Kersey — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:45:35 +0000

Cliff Lee, a starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, has been named the American League Cy Young Award winner. Lee, who just last season was sent down to the minors due to ineffective pitching, bounced back in a big way in 2008.

When looking at Lee’s numbers, it’s difficult to keep your jaw from hitting the floor. He had a record of 22-3 to go along with a 2.54 ERA and a microscopic WHIP of 1.11. He also had 170 strikeouts and only 33 walks in 223.1 innings pitched.

The 30-year-old Lee had by far his best season in 2008. In 2007, Lee had a 6.29 ERA and a record of 5-8. In fact, in his previous four seasons, he only had one campaign with an ERA under 4.00.

Second place in the AL Cy Young Award balloting was Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Roy Halladay. Halladay, who already has a Cy Young Award to his name, finished 20-11 with a 2.78 ERA.

Lee finished with 24 first place votes, while Halladay got four. Lee joins National League Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.

Photo credit: Newscom

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American League Cy Young Candidates 2008

Stephen Kersey — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:03:22 +0000

5) Mike Mussina, New York Yankees
Although he doesn’t have a legitimate chance to win the award, Mike Mussina has pitched well enough in 2008 to be an American League Cy Young favorite. While many Yankee fans were ready to bury him coming into the season, Mussina responded with a vintage season. He currently has an ERA of 3.57 to go with a record of 18-9.

4) Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays
Another year, another Roy Halladay great season. Perhaps the most underrated pitcher in the entire major leagues, Halladay currently has a 2.81 ERA and a 19-11 record. It took the Blue Jays a while it kick it into gear this season but Halladay has been behind their late season resurgence.

3) Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox
After signing that enormous contract last season, Daisuke Matsuzaka got off to a relatively slow start to his big league career in the United States. However this season, Matsuzaka has been everything the Red Sox wished he’d become. He has an amazing 18-2 record to go with a sparkling 2.80 ERA. If this were any other year, he’d be a great candidate to take home the Cy Young Award.

2) Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians
Seemingly out of nowhere Cliff Lee has put up ridiculous stats this season. He leads the American League in wins and ERA at 22 and 2.41, respectively. He only has two losses and has been a consistent force for the Indians all season long. Considering that the Indians underperformed for much of the year, Lee’s strong season is even that much more spectacular.

1) Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles Angels
The only thing standing between Cliff Lee and the Cy Young Award is Francisco Rodriguez. The Angels closer has had one of the best seasons of all-time for a reliever as he’s amassed a major league record number of saves. To date, Rodriguez has 61 saves and an ERA of 2.31. It’s difficult for relievers to win the Cy Young, but Rodriguez’s season is noteworthy enough that he has a very good shot at taking home the trophy.

Francisco Rodriguez has pitched his name into the record books and Cy Young consideration.

Photo: Newscom

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Where Are They Now: Top Prospects of ‘98, #31-40

Geoff Young — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:34:01 +0000

Previously…

I think 1998 is right around when I first started to realize how difficult it is to develop a big-league catcher. Five backstops made Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects that year, and none of ‘em did much. Still, this latest batch includes a former home-run champion and a Cy Young Award winner…

Cesar King, C, Texas Rangers. As a Latin-American catcher stuck behind Ivan Rodriguez, King drew the inevitable comparisons. Unfortunately, King couldn’t hit. He never reached the big leagues, and his career minor-league line is .248/.311/.377 in 1665 plate appearances. King last played 12 games for Double-A Chattanooga in the Cincinnati Reds organization in 2002. He was 24 that year and hasn’t been seen since.
Dermal Brown, OF, Kansas City Royals. Brown’s is a familiar story: plenty of tools, not enough skills. He received one shot as a big-league regular. In 2001, at age 23, Brown hit .245/.286/.350 (63 OPS+) before losing his job. For a defensively challenged left fielder, that kind of bat just didn’t cut it — not even with the ‘01 Royals. Brown resurfaces every now and then, most recently for three at-bats with the Oakland A’s in 2007. For his career, he’s batting .233/.280/.333 (57 OPS+) in 874 plate appearances. Brown turns 30 at the end of March, but it wouldn’t surprise me if his stint with the A’s last year was his swan song.
Eli Marrero, C, St. Louis Cardinals. Marrero is the one catcher on our list who actually had a decent career. He’s also the one who had the most to overcome. Marrero first came up the big leagues in 1997 and got into 17 games that year. After a nondescript ‘98 season, he got the bulk of the playing time behind the dish and hit .192/.236/.297 (33 OPS+). That is epic: Since 1961, only 11 players have posted a lower OPS+ while logging 300 or more plate appearances. Marrero then missed much of the 2000 season due to thyroid cancer, only to come back the next year and hit .266/.312/.438 (92 OPS+) in 86 games. He followed that with a .262/.327/.451 campaign — and, oh, by the way, he spent most of his time playing the outfield, including 36 games in center. Marrero has played sparingly since then, most recently in 2006 with the Rockies and Mets. Over parts of 10 seasons, he owns a .243/.303/.411 (84 OPS+) batting line. He also has stolen 56 bases, at a slick 84% success rate.
Mike Caruso, SS, Chicago White Sox. Caruso, along with pitcher Lorenzo Barcelo, was part of the “White Flag” trade of 1997. The next spring, despite zero experience above High-A, Caruso made the big club. Amazingly he hit .306/.331/.390 (89+) despite hacking at nearly everything thrown his way. The same approach didn’t work for Caruso in 1999, and he spent the next two seasons at Triple-A — first with the White Sox affiliate, then with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization. He didn’t hit a lick either place. Caruso got into 12 games for the Royals in 2002, then apparently retired at the ripe old age of 25.
Ryan Minor, 3B, Baltimore Orioles. Minor was sort of Joe Borchard’s predecessor. Like Borchard, Minor excelled in another sport (basketball), had tools that made scouts drool, was always old for his level, and lacked the necessary skills to play baseball in the big leagues. One in a line of “replacements” for Cal Ripken Jr., Minor saw action in parts of four seasons and hit .177/.228/.259 (26 OPS+). Minor last played at Double-A Charlotte (Marlins) in 2004 at age 30, and had more strikeouts than hits. Minor knocked five home runs during his brief career. His victims weren’t exactly household names: Terry Adams, Nelson Figueroa, Dan Perkins, John Snyder, and Ed Yarnall.
Troy Glaus, 3B, Anaheim Angels. Hey, look, a prospect who turned into a star. It happens. The Angels took Glaus with the third pick overall in the 1997 draft. Glaus, who had played some shortstop at UCLA, immediately turned into a full-time third baseman. He also immediately destroyed minor-league pitching, to the tune of .307/.396/.641 in 109 games at Double- and Triple-A. By the end of his first pro season, Glaus was Anaheim’s starting third baseman. He hit 29 homers in his first full season and followed that up by knocking 47 and winning the AL home-run title at age 23. Glaus has continued to produce ever since, albeit not to those early levels. He also has had trouble staying healthy. Even still, over parts of 10 seasons he’s hitting .254/.358/.500 (121 OPS+), with 277 home runs. Two of Glaus’ most similar players through age 30 are in the Hall of Fame (although both Mike Schmidt and Reggie Jackson had a much higher OPS+). Glaus bears stronger resemblance to Matt Williams or the man for whom he was traded this past winter, Scott Rolen.
Rolando Arrojo, RHP, Tampa Bay Devil Rays. One of the Cuban defectors from the mid- to late-’90s (Ariel Prieto, Livan Hernandez), Arrojo featured a funky delivery that kept hitters off balance all throughout his rookie season. He went 14-12 with a 3.56 ERA (133 ERA+) in 1998 and finished second to Oakland outfielder Ben Grieve in AL Rookie of the Year voting. Arrojo slipped considerably each of the next two seasons before rebounding as a reliever for the Red Sox in 2001. After appearing in 29 more games for Boston in 2002, Arrojo pitched nine innings at the Yankees’ Triple-A club in Columbus the following year before calling it quits at age 34 (or thereabouts). Arrojo left the game with a 40-42 record and 4.55 ERA (108 ERA+) in exactly 700 innings.
Roy Halladay, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays. What I remember about Halladay’s early years is that he had week peripheral numbers in the minors and then almost spun a no-hitter in his second big-league start. In his first full season, 1999, Halladay went 8-7 with a 3.92 ERA (126 ERA+), but it screamed fluke. His K/9 was below 5, his K/BB was right around 1, he gave up a lot of hits, and he was prone to serving up the long ball. In short, Halladay looked like a great candidate to collapse, and that’s just what he did the next year — in spectacular fashion. He became the 12th pitcher since 1900 to work at least 60 innings and post an ERA+ below 50 (and the only one whose ERA reached double digits). So in 2001 the Blue Jays kicked Halladay all the way back to High-A and reinvented him. He returned to the big club and pitched very well down the stretch. The next year he won 19 games and made the All-Star team. A year after that he won 22 and took home the Cy Young Award. Halladay has battled injuries since then but he’s been remarkably effective when healthy. Through parts of 10 seasons he’s 111-55 with a 3.63 ERA (128 ERA+). Nice comeback, eh?
Braden Looper, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards selected Looper out of Wichita State with the third pick in the 1995 draft. A closer in college, Looper was shifted to starting duty as a pro, but that experiment soon ended and he returned to the bullpen. After two seasons in the minors, Looper came up to the big club in September 1998, made four appearances, and then got shipped to Florida in a deal for shortstop Edgar Renteria. With the Marlins, Looper embarked on his career as generic middle reliever, although his high draft status probably netted him a few more saves than most guys with his skill set. Looper’s best season came in 2004, when he notched 29 saves with the New York Mets and posted an uncharacteristic 2.70 ERA (158 ERA+) in 83 1/3 innings. Last year, after 572 consecutive relief appearances to start his career, Looper made his first big-league start. He went on to make 30 of them in a performance that is best described as “adequate.” For his career, Looper owns a 46-44 record with a 3.88 ERA (110 ERA+) and 103 saves. He also has proven extremely durable, which is more than can be said for his predecessor as closer at Wichita State, Darren Dreifort.
Ruben Rivera, OF, San Diego Padres. My two enduring (if not endearing) memories of Rivera are the time he launched a ball into the upper deck at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia and the time he entered as a pinch-runner and promptly got picked off first base to end the game on the third-to-first move that never works. I doubt I’ll ever see a more exasperating player in my lifetime. Originally signed by the New York Yankees, Rivera came to San Diego in the Hideki Irabu trade. Rivera spent two seasons as the Padres starting center fielder and displayed an incredible inability to hit a baseball. He later spent time with the Reds, Rangers, and Giants, but didn’t do much with any of those clubs. Actually, he made one of the worst baserunning blunders in history while with the Giants (no video is available, so you’ll have to settle for a description that doesn’t do it justice). Rivera also once allegedly stole a glove from teammate Derek Jeter. Scouts like players who have tools, not players who are tools. Over parts of eight seasons, Rivera, who is the cousin of Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, hit .216/.307/.393 (82 OPS+). At last check, Rivera was swinging and missing for the White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte in 2006 at age 32.

As always, thanks for joining me in our look back at the top prospects of ‘98. Our next installment includes a very tall pitcher, a very homeriffic pitcher, the ultimate Three True Outcomes hero, and pretty good third baseman who looked like he’d be better than he is. Until then…

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