Obviously, subtracting Roy Halladay, one of the best pitchers in the sport, is a move that doesn't exactly enhance your team. However, with the way the Blue Jays have played thus far in 2010, it's worth wondering if they are better off without their longtime ace.
Consider that the Blue Jays were 25-19 heading into action Saturday night. Also consider that Halladay is 6-2 with a cruel 1.64 ERA heading into Sunday's start against the Red Sox. Put two and two together, and you could probably say that the Jays could realistically be 29-15 if Halladay had made his nine starts for Toronto.
But maybe that's not the case. You'll certainly recall that for a good chunk of the 2009 season, Halladay's name was all over the trading block, and his departure seemed to be a matter of when he'd be leaving, not if he'd be leaving. When push came to shove, though, then-GM J.P. Ricciardi didn't pull the trigger. Halladay's 17-9 record, 2.79 ERA, nine complete games, 208 strikeouts and 239 innings were essentially wasted for a Toronto squad that finished 28 games behind the Yankees (don't feel bad though, Torontonians — the Orioles were 39 games back at season's end).
Halladay was traded away in December by new GM Alex Anthopoulos with one year left on his deal. It cost the Blue Jays their best pitcher, but saved them a dollar or 15 million in the process. They also got a trio of prospects — Travis d'Arnaud, Kyle Drabek and Brett Wallace (via Michael Taylor) — in the deal, but none have yet to appear at the major league level.
So how, exactly, are the Blue Jays doing it this year? Well, 72 home runs heading into Saturday helps. The closest team was the Red Sox … with 59. The homers have been spread out, too, with Jose Bautista, Vernon Wells and Alex Gonzalez each in double digits.
They also don't have the "where will Halladay be traded?" question hovering over their heads all year, and that's something that the players even referenced.
"Everybody's a lot more loose and relaxed and laid-back, myself included," Shaun Marcum told the Toronto Sun back in April. That same story said that Halladay was so good that he intimidated younger pitchers simply because of his skills on the mound.
"Halladay simply cast too big a shadow and didn’t have the wherewithal or the ability to reach out and bridge the gap with the revolving door of unripened and untested starters that would come and go like so many Boxing Day shoppers rushing through a revolving door," Mike Rutsey wrote. "So maybe the Jays are a tighter group, at least the starters, without Halladay, like survivors from a sinking ship in a lifeboat."
Maybe, but maybe not. Their starting pitching has been mediocre, posting a 4.27 ERA that is good enough for 16th in the bigs. Their bullpen is a bit worse, ranked 19th, and given those two numbers, you'd be hard-pressed to convince anyone that the team wouldn't be better with Halladay pitching every fifth day.
But you know, baseball is a funny game. Sometimes things just defy explanation, and maybe this rejuvenated Jays team is Exhibit A. So what do you think: Are the Blue Jays better off without Roy Halladay?
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May 22: Should MLB change its interleague schedule?
