Halladay to Phillies rumors are heating up but don't buy your "Doc" jersey just yet

The Phillies need help with their pitching staff. Ever since Brett Myers (remember him?) went down for the season, the team has basically had four starters and has been throwing out whatever they can find on the 5th day. And, while Antonio Bastardo, Rodrigo Lopez and Drew Carpenter have been adequate fill-ins, they are not the answer for a Phillies team with World Series aspirations. What the Phillies need is someone to step into the #2 spot in the rotation to replace Myers.

Enter Roy Halladay. The Blue Jays ace and former Cy Young winner would fit the bill of a top starter, one that would make the Phillies rotation one of the best in the NL. And, he is apparently available in the right deal: Toronto has made it known that Halladay could be acquired if they are blown away by an offer. Which means a team would have to give up a big package of top prospects and major league ready players to get Halladay.

Should the Phillies bite? Of course, if the price is right. Rumors are circulating that the Phillies are the early front-runners to get Halladay, given that they have a ton of prospects and the only other teams that are believed to have serious interest, the Yankees and Red Sox, reside in the same division as the Blue Jays. The Phillies are the perfect match for the Jays because they are desperate for pitching (they were scouting Pedro Martinez) and they have the kind of players Toronto wants, like a shortstop in Jason Donald.

Of course, the deal would require the Phillies to give up a lot more than just Donald, you would expect Carlos Carrasco, Kyle Drabek and Lou Marson's names to be thrown around, plus some major league talent like J.A. Happ and John Mayberry. I would be all for the Phillies offering most, if not all of these players up, if they can get a pitcher like Halladay back, although I would be wary of them giving up Happ. Trading Happ to get Halladay significantly improves the Phillies rotation, but it still leaves them with a hole at the #5 spot, one that will have to continue to be filled by guys like Bastardo and Lopez. My preference would be to keep Happ and then have a rock solid rotation of Cole Hamels, Halladay, Jamie Moyer, Joe Blanton and Happ.

Don't go out and by your Halladay jersey just yet, Phillies fans. The Blue Jays have made it very clear that they don't have to trade Roy Halladay. Halladay has another year on his contract, and the Jays would be smart to just hold on to him until next season and then try to pawn him off. The only way the Phillies would be able pull this deal off is if they overspend. If you thought the Flyers had to overpay to get Chris Pronger, just wait and see what the Phillies are going to have to unload to get Halladay.

That said, I am sure the Phillies will do whatever it takes to try to get Halladay to Philadelphia. As long as the Phillies don't completely mortgage away their future, I hope it gets done. Having a Hamels/Halladay one-two punch in the playoffs would be a thing of beauty.