PCP Sports

by Michael DeLuca

Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News had the following to say in a recent Q&A:
Q “I know you’re a Hall of Famer, but I have you scooped on this one. Since the Reds are designated for the scrap heap they will put Harangatang and A-yo-yo on the trading block. Agree?” — Roger, Louisville, Ky.
A “If you tell me to which team and for which players I’ll give you full credit. I assume Harangatang is Aaron Harang and A-yo-yo is Bronson Arroyo? If the Reds nose dive before the July 31 trade deadline it wouldn’t surprise me if one of those is traded for prospects. Harang, Mr. Hard Luck, has struggled to win for two years and Arroyo, indeed, is a yo-yo — up and down, up and down. He, too, could go for good prospects.”
Prior to Roy Halladay’s name surfacing in trade circles, I had mentioned many times that I feel Harang would be a great fit for the Phillies. He already pitches in a bandbox, eats innings like it’s nobody’s business, and has posted incredible numbers considering his home park. Is he Halladay, no, but if he becomes available then he’s not a bad second option. In addition, adding another front line starter to the trade block could only strengthen the Phils’ position in dealing for Halladay. The more guys that become available, the lower the asking price. Basic rules of supply and demand.

Sport’s Illustrated’s Jon Heyman’s latest post on twitter states “#phillies seem to be strong phavorites for halladay. latest i hear: #angels want to keep prospects, #rangers dont have $”

Adam Rubin of The NY Daily News has spoken to a source that claims the New York Mets are going to release righthander Tim Redding. Though Redding has been atrocious this year (7.22 ERA), the Phils should sign him to a minor league deal just so they don’t have to face him. Over the past two years, between Washington and New York, Redding has started 6 games against the Phils, going 35 innings with a 2.50 ERA. That includes last year’s opener at Citizen’s Bank Park in which Redding threw 7 shutout innings giving up just 1 hit.

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Brewers may be a dark horse in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes. The Blue Jays apparently have a giant man crush on shortstop prospect Alcides Escobar but likely don’t have the pitching prospects to complete the deal. Another hurdle is that Halladay may not be willing to accept a trade to Milwaukee.

Rosenthal also says that Dodgers manager Joe Torre has “made it clear he wants Roy Halladay.” The problems is that the Jays are insisting on Clayton Kershaw and that is simply not going to happen.