I’m Miles Miller!

So for years I’ve been saying that the Yankees need to forget chasing guys like ARod, Giambi, Abreu, Randy Johnson, Pavano, Kevin Brown, Sabathia, Sheffield, Teixeira, Damon, Kei Igawa and Mussina, and go after my favorite pitcher in all of baseball, Roy Halladay.  The Yankees’ office has been great for catching big names has-beens and old pitchers in their 30’s who had a great year previously.  But all it’s done is throw a billion dollars in payroll in the last 6-7 years and no championships.  You have to get the right names, not the most recognizeable names. 

The greatest team ever was the 1998 New York Yankees, a team that won 114 games and then the World Series.  And who was on this team, A-Rod, Griffey, Bonds, Giambi, Canseco, Bagwell, Pujols?  No!  It was made of guys like Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, Chuck Knoblach, Chad Curtis, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter.  You need winners, teammates, role-players and smart baseball; you don’t need an All-Star team to win games.  (Look at the Cowboys, Redskins, Angels with Mo Vaughn, Mets, and Yankees of the last decade.)

Anyway, mlb.com reports that Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi says that the Jays are open to trade offers for Roy Halladay. “I’m not saying we’re going to shop him,  But… we’re [leaning] more toward listening than we’ve ever been.”  Doc Halladay will be a free agent after 2010, so the Jays have a little time to get something for him before he’s gone.  This is music to my ears!  Roy is no spring chicken, he is 32 years old, but this is a guy who has had an ERA under 3.30 in 7 of the last 9 seasons in the AL East and is getting better each year.  He’ll be just 33 at the end of the contract so the Yankees wouldn’t be investing $150M for a guy who will cash his checks when he’s 40.  Throw in Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes, Melky, A-Rod (they would love him in Toronto haha), Kei Igawa, Chien-Ming Wang, or anybody else.  How much is two World Series worth? 

Sure, the Blue Jays sure don’t want to help Boston or New York and will try to avoid helping their rivals but hey: who needs him, who has the money, and who would give Roy the best chance to win?  He has the no-trade clause that he would have to be willing to waive so he won’t be going to San Diego or Pittsburgh. 

The point is: other than like Giant’s Tim Lincecum, there is no pitcher I’d rather have on my team for the next two seasons than Roy Halladay.