Should the Yankees get Roy Halladay?

That is the million dollar question, should the Yankees pursue the most sought after player in baseball. A player who at 32 years old is playing his best baseball. A player who has already won a cy young, could line up a second after this year, and is surely to be a hall of famer when his illustrious career comes to a close. This player is available and has been for the last 3 weeks. JP Ricciardi, the Blue Jays General Manager, put Halladay on the block when it appeared that the Blue Jays were eliminated from contention. A lot of teams seem interested in Halladay (who wouldn't be), but Ricciardi is asking for an enormous amount for Roy. The Phillies appeared to be the favorite but it seems as though the Jays and Phillies have hit a snag and neither team is willing to budge. Halladay is under contract through the end of 2010, so any team that trades for him has to take on about 6 million for this year and another 15 for next year. So back to the original question, should the Yankees trade for Halladay, and furthermore will they?

I think as fantastic as Roy Halladay is, the Yankees should not get him. I've been hearing all week about how this makes the Yankees an instant World Series favorite for 2 years, and when you have a chance at a Hall of Fame pitcher, you shouldn't let a few minor leaguers stand in the way. I understand this point of view, but I have to respectfully disagree. The reported oasking price from the Jays was Hughes/Joba, Austin Jackson, and Jesus Montero. At this point I no longer consider Hughes/Joba young talent. These are impact players now and are crucial to the Yankees run this season. I also know that Montero and Jackson may not pan out, but it's nice saving the farm for the future and in case of injury.

The Yankees also have a track record of going out and getting the best pitchers on the market who are on the decline of their career and they don't pan out. Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano, Roger Clemens (stint 2), and Jaret Wright. All these players struggled with the Yankees and were a waste of money. If you look at what it took for the Yankees to win 4 World Series titles in 5 years, it was the right combination of young talent and good major league free agents. Not one player on that roster was a stud brought in from another team. It was Posada, Jeter, Pettitte, Bernie, and Mariano, all home grown talent. It was also, O'neill, Martinez, Brosius, Wells, Cone, and El Duque, all good major league players but no one was a real stud. It took chemistry and it took the right guys stepping up at the right time.

This year the Yankees are 2nd in MLB with a 61-38 record, a team that is fun to watch and playing great baseball. Why fix what's not broken? Why go and get a pitcher who could impact this team greatly but also take away the heart and soul of this team? Why remove the youth which provides the spark, the energy, and the hustle from a team that needs no help? I think doing this move says "we can't win with the current team", which is an insult and a lie. This team right now is better than Boston and LAA and so long as they dont get Halladay, it's an uneccessary move. I think the option to get Johan was there a few years ago and Cashman passed because he wanted to save the young talent. That is why they signed Burnett and CC to improve the pitching without having to give up young players. The payroll is almost never an issue with the Yankees but paying the luxury tax would increase the cost of getting Halladay, from 21 million to around 32 million. I know some people seem to think when you are already paying 200 million, what's another 20 a year. My answer to that is plain and simple, if money isn't an issue and you are willing to do anything to win, why wouldn't you sign every free agent out there and nearly guarantee the World Series title? Get Manny and Abreu in the offseason in there instead of Melky and Swisher. Throw money at every FA and lock em up. This at least saves you prospects. But clearly this is unreasonable as the Yankees want to win with their players and they want to win in an economical manor. It's not like you are in trouble at this point in the season and to stay competitive you need 1 bat or 1 starter. This is a team playing out of its mind baseball and doesn't need Halladay to put the rest of the league in a choke hold.