Phillies, Dodgers Emerge As Roy Halladay Front Runners

The Blue Jays have made it apparent that they will not trade their ace pitcher Roy Halladay across the division to the Yankees or Red Sox.

Jon Heyman – of  SI.com  reports that the Yankees and Red Sox have been recently informed by the Blue Jays that their chances to land Halladay are slim. He also calls the Phillies “the logical winner” of the Halladay situation.

It looks as if the Phillies would have to surrender prospect Kyle Drabek – who has been recently declared “untouchable”.

A few Phillies prospects that may potentially  be involved  in a trade are; J.A. Happ, Carlos Carrasco and Jason Knapp; outfielders John Mayberry Jr., Dominic Brown and Michael Taylor; catcher Lou Marson and shortstop Jason Donald) and of course Kyle Drabek.

What is Bryce Harper Up To These Days?

What exactly is the 16 year old baseball phenom Bryce Harper currently up to at the moment?

ESPN – Harper will be 17 years and almost eight months old on draft day, will take his GED, and leave high school after two years and enroll at the College of Southern Nevada this fall. This should make the Las Vegas High School catcher eligible for the 2010 Rule 4 draft, when he’d be the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick.

‘Duk @ Yahoo Sports – His father announced that Bryce will forgo his final two years of high school and use a GED to enroll in a community college this August. Though it more or less makes a mockery of our education system, the Harpers’ plan would make Bryce eligible for the 2010 draft, where he could conceivably be the Nationals’ No. 1 pick and eventually join forces with Stephen Strasburg to save Washington baseball from itself.

Max Prep – Still just 16 years of age, Harper made headlines earlier this summer when he announced that he would forgo his final two years of high school to enroll in Southern Nevada Community College with the intent of applying for the 2010 draft. Harper would be approximately 17 years and eight months when the draft will be held. How long it would take him to reach the Major Leagues is anyone’s guess, but Harper reportedly has the skills necessary to rise quickly through the minor leagues.

President Obama In The booth During All-Star Game

After throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, White Sox fan President Obama hangs out in the booth with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver during the 2009 All-Star game on Tuesday. Obama expressed that he is indeed “not a Cub hater” and that he just does not “root for them”. He also praised the Phillies during their visit to the White House a few months ago. This is a great video and a “class act”.

Thursday’s Version of Roy Halladay Rumors

The Roy Halladay market tends to keep growing as interest increases around the league. The Blue Jays are in search of young talent that will contribute to their franchise growth. Who will offer the Jays’ the best package deal in the Halladay Sweepstakes? We will soon find out!

Joel Sherman of SI.com explains why trading the ace pitcher will benefit everyone involved. “It is simply just the wrong place and time for Halladay to be in Toronto any longer.”

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports – The Angels and Cardinals are among the teams interested in Roy Halladay, but rival executives are skeptical that either club can produce a strong enough package to land the Blue Jays’ ace.

Foster’s Daily – Adding Martinez isn’t expected to prevent the Phillies from pursuing All-Star Roy Halladay. The Toronto Blue Jays are listening to offers for the 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner, and Philadelphia already has expressed strong interest.

Halladay was the Blue Jays’ first draft selection in the 1995 Major League Baseball Draft, the 17th pick overall, and has played for the team since 1998. On April 6, Halladay made his team-record seventh straight Opening Day start for Toronto, defeating the Detroit Tigers before a near-capacity crowd at Rogers Centre.

The Dodgers Want Pitchers

That’s right! The best team in baseball wants a few more arms. They even told MLB.com that they may “inquire” about Roy Halladay over the next two weeks. With the recent loss of Eric Milton, the Dodgers are in need to fill the fifth starting spot in their rotation, permanently.

Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports that the Dodgers also want a seventh-inning reliever to replace injured workhorse Ronald Belisario, who has provided such a valuable bridge to Ramon Troncoso and closer Jonathan Broxton.

With more strength from the pen and Manny back in the swing of things, the Dodgers should run away National League West,  Right?

In a midseason report, Dodger Thoughts at LA Times Blogs stated that “the Dodgers are good enough to win a World Series. But they might not. Fans and management are still insecure.”

Phillies Sign Pedro Martinez

Three-time Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez, has signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Phillies according to multiple sources around MLB. The signing was confirmed by the Phillies organization this morning, and the deal was worth $1MM for one year.

Martinez was immediatley placed on the 15-day DL because of a slight shoulder strain. There is no timeline on when the Phillies expect Pedro to take part in a rehab assignment.

Wednesday’s Version of Roy Halladay Rumors

During the All-Star game last evening, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports told Joe Buck that Roy Halladay will almost certainly be traded within the next two weeks. He mentioned that Blue Jay scouts are all over the country researching minor league talent.

STLToday.com reports that the Cardinals are going to make a generous run at the pitcher, but they will not “over do it” for Halladay.

The Bleacher Report featured an article today that explained why the San Francisco Giants should consider signing Halladay.

The Yankees and Red Sox continue to be in the conversation when it comes to potential suitors, though it would likely take a lot for Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi to deal the ace to a division rival.

Prince Fielder Never Hit A Ball 500ft.

Prince Fielder was the winner of the 2009 Home Run Derby held at the Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri on Monday (July 14). Fielder delivered 23 home runs in 3 rounds, averaging 439 feet to win the big Home Run Derby Trophy.

According to BumpShack.com, Fielder said, “I’ve never hit a ball 500 feet, so that’s pretty cool. I’m just happy. It was pretty cool to actually win one. You never think as a kid you’re going to win one, but I just always hoped I would win one. So to win one tonight is kind of like a dream come true, I guess.”

Check out these cool photos from the 2009 home run derby and celebrity softball game.

“Big Papi” Joins Elite Club

As the first half of the season comes to a close, we’ve seen more than our fair share of milestones. 300 wins for Randy Johnson…check. 500 home runs for Gary Sheffield…check.

A slew of batters hitting the 300 (Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko, Lance Berkman, Ivan Rodriguez and Adam Dunn) and 400 (Jason Giambi) home run plateau…check, check, check, check, check and check.

FINALLY…thanks to a first inning home run Thursday night against the Royals, David Ortiz can add his name to the list, The Hall of Very Good reports.

No Obstacles For Pedro In Philadelphia?

We all know Pedro Martinez lives for the big game, but can he get through 6 or more innings in atleast 12 attempts for the Phillies in 2009?

ESPN’s Jayson Stark says that if Pedro does indeed pass his physical there is absolutley no obstacle in the way of seeing him in red pinstripes. Stark also says, Texas is also apparently out of the hunt for the ex-Met.

David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily news says Pedro will sign for sure if he does pass the physical. The terms of the agreement – and, therefore, the amount of monetary risk the Phillies will assume – is unknown. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr., in St. Louis for the All-Star Game, has declined to comment other than to acknowledge that the Phillies scouted Martinez last week.

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