Goodbye, Good Doctor
Sixteen years ago, the Toronto Blue Jays were on the eve of playing the Philadelphia Phillies for the World Series. Then-president Paul Beeston went to the Devil and asked what it would cost for the Jays to beat the boys from the city of unbrotherly love. The Devil said "I can make it so that you beat the Phillies in 6 games." He added "not only that, but in Game Four of The Series, I'll make it so that Toronto comes back from five runs in the eighth inning and wins 15-14. "Wow", said Beeston. "Not only that", said the Devil, "but in Game Six you will win the World Series with a walk-off homerun that will stand the test of time as the greatest sporting moment in Toronto history AND one of the most memorable moments in baseball history."
"And what do you want in return?", asked Mr. Beeston.
"In the near furture a prodigy will enter your system", professed the Devil. "He will stand 6 feet, 6 inches tall and will have a rubber arm. He'll be the greatest starting pitcher in the world for 10 years starting in the next decade. He will win a Cy Young award and be named to six all-star teams. He'll win 20 games in a season for the Blue Jays twice. He'll post a 148-76 record for Toronto and he'll post a sub-3 ERA four times.
"How many more World Series will the Jays win with this pitcher?" asked Beeston.
"None", replied the Devil. "In fact, he will never stand on the mound in postseason game."
"Is that the catch?" asked Mr. Beeston.
"No, the catch is that at the end of the next decade, Toronto will deliver this great pitcher, in the prime of his career, to the Phillies for nothing more in return than a couple of minor league prospects."
Today, - exactly sixteen years later, the Devil has come back to town to collect on the deal.
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Topcat wrote on Dec 25, 2009
Doc had to go, and getting 3 instead of 2 drafts may have been the best offer. My take is that AA is a JP clone (young guy with a great rep who has NEVER been a GM let alone a winning GM). Why do the higher-ups think they can rebuild properly without a licensed craftsman and his references? Wouldnt it make more sense to save the $6mil and use it on a GM with a proven resume? And if one wont come here, just what does that say about Godfrey/Beeston and Rogers? Me - they arent gonna get one cent of my money next year or for quite a while it seems, while I "rebuild" my faith in these people. We are a minor-league team - a "feeder" team, just like all those years ago when the Leafs played downtown and all the good ones went up to Boston or elsewhere. We just we pay more for tix and watch SOME major teams come to town. Who wouldnt want to leave? Good Luck Doc - u deserve it.sbmolloy wrote on Dec 20, 2009
How does Tiger's Canadian Open win in 2000 rank up there for Toronto's sports history. One of the greatest shots in modern golf. Thank god Elin didn't ruin his prized 5 iron he made that shot with, Tiger would be forced to do something really sleazy and underhanded to get even with her.James wrote on Dec 20, 2009
It sucks to trade Doc, but this deal had to be done. If the Jays had let Doc walk for nothing, it could have set the franchise back years. In light of what the rumours were, I like what AA got back. I think he did a nice job. The one thing I'm not looking forward to are all the inevitable Expos comparisons over the next season. Anytime a non hockey Canadian team rebuilds, it brings out those lazy, moronic comparisons instead of actually looking into how different the situations are.Tom wrote on Dec 20, 2009
To be fair, Jeff Kent had played 65 big league games, mostly at 3B because the Jays already had a HOFer at 2B. The other three: Ryan Thompson in the Cone deal and Steve Karsay and Jose Herrera in the Henderson deal had not debuted yet. Karsay was racked with injuries and went from being a top flight starting pitcher prospect to being a solid middle relief setup guy. It is true that you need about 3 to 5 years to judge a deal like this, so let's give them that. This deal represents a sea change in philosophy and direction for this team. It's a kick start in the direction of building from the bottom up, which is what Gillick et al did starting in 1977, leading to very good teams from 1983 through 1991 and culminating in the halcyon years of 1992 and 1993. Mistakes will be made along the way. As a fan, I'd much rather they were mistakes of a few million dollars (i.e. signing bonuses) than 100 million dollars. We've been down that road before haven't we? Time to try something different.Tom wrote on Dec 20, 2009
Teams in contention give up prospects to get quality big leaguers, so they can go for the brass ring. Teams like the Jays that are rebuilding need to go for the prospects to kick start that process. That's the way it's been for quite a while now. The Jays have put this off for 15 years now and their farm system shows it. I'm glad AA, Beeston, and Rogers all recognize this. The Blue Jays were once where the Phillies are now. Those of you in the "This trade sucks, they didn't get any major leaguers back" camp tell me and be honest: would you have traded big leaguers in '92 for David Cone? How about Rickey Henderson in '93? Yeah, didn't think so. I'm hoping for a Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew to the Expos for Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips and Lee Stevens type of HR deal for the Jays. Yeah, that Cliff Lee. Wanna know the other common denominator? Tony LaCava is our assistant GM and he helped the Indians plunder Omar Minaya's Expos in that deal. Hmm...Chris wrote on Dec 17, 2009
Hey, how did we get another "Chris" on here? I didn't say those comments.Steve wrote on Dec 17, 2009
Ricciardi messed this up real bad. The they had to trade "Doc" scenario is but one of many that could have played out if the new Blue Jays brain trust was prepared to spend money and go for it. Is it a risky proposition? Absolutely. But you would have sent a message to the good doctor and his agents that the only team that he has ever known was serious about getting to the Post Season. No guarantee that at the end of the season Halladay would resign, but it would have been a good faith sign to one of the best pitchers that the organization had changed its thinking and was doing everything to make it to the Post season. So while three prospects vs. two prospects might not make much sense, it would have been a signal to the fan base the Jays are serious.Method wrote on Dec 17, 2009
They had to trade him, and they were given a deadline of Spring Training to do so. So I'm not sure why you're getting mad that they did trade him, they had no choice. He wasn't going to resign so what was one more year going to do? So he leaves and they end up with two first round draft picks. Well look at what they got, three guys that were first round draft picks who are more developed. Everyone says Drabek has to become a star to make this deal worth it. Well what if Drabek becomes 'only' a 10-15 win guy, but Wallace hits 40 HR's and 100 RBI's. Think that might make it worth it to get that rather than some draft picks. Think about it.EddyinChina wrote on Dec 17, 2009
Trading Doc sucks balls..... His performance will be missed, but more so and something I think is being over looked is leadership in the club house, he was a class act all around... There is one part of the deal that drives me crazy.... sending 6 mil to Philly for his salary... That is Nucking Futs, here take please take the best picture in baseball and 6 mill towards his salary..... get real..... Signed a new Philly FanTerence wrote on Dec 16, 2009
Blue Jays fans will rue the day Doc Halladay was traded!Steve wrote on Dec 16, 2009
From an organizational point of view, I understand the need to replenish the cupboard, but a case can be made for keeping Halladay. This trade moves arguably the best pitcher in the game for two prospects listed in the Baseball Prospectus Top 100 and a third who may or may not wind up on that list. There are no guarantees that any of the three coming back to the Blue Jays end up making a Halladay-like contribution to the franchise. They may also regret trading Michael Taylor.Steve wrote on Dec 16, 2009
From an organizational point of view, I understand the organizational need to replenish the cupboard, but a case can be made for keeping Halladay. This trade moves arguably the best pitcher in the game for two prospects listed in the Baseball Prospectus Top 100 and a third who may or may not wind up on that list. There are no guarantees that any of the three coming back to the Blue Jays end up making a Halladay-like contribution to the franchise. They may also regret trading Michael Taylor.YukonSloMo wrote on Dec 16, 2009
And so...hopefully another new chapter begins...Chris wrote on Dec 16, 2009
What more did you expect for a team that's rebuilding? There's nothing wrong with three blue chip prospects who the Jays will have control for six years over their contracts. I'm sick of people ***ing and moaning over the fact that its not a major league ready player. They're rebuilding, there's no way they would beat the Yanks right now.