Blue Jays right-hander Roy Halladay will rule out nothing. Not any teams. Not any contractual scenarios.
Every situation will be looked at on its own merits, says Greg Landry, one of Halladays agents.
Halladay, 32, wants to play for a championship-caliber club. He almost certainly will want a contract extension in exchange for waiving his no-trade clause.
Yet, by leaving his options open, he retains his flexibility.
Maybe a seeming non-contender will arrange a trade with the Jays and persuade Halladay of its promise by laying out a plan to add other top players.
Maybe a scenario will emerge in which Halladay will not require a contract extension, although such a development appears highly unlikely.
Halladay is in a different position than he was last July, when he seemed disinclined to ask for an extension if the Blue Jays tried to trade him. He could have played the final two months with his new team, then reassessed his situation.
The clock now is ticking; Halladay is a free agent at the end of next season. If he gets injured without an extension in place, he could risk his chance to land a Johan Santana/CC Sabathia type contact.
The Angels remain interested in Halladay as they attempt to re-sign free-agent right-hander John Lackey. The Red Sox, too, also worked hard to land Halladay last July.
The Yankees, however, remain perhaps the most intriguing potential suitor.
They won the World Series without Halladay last season, with many of their older players continuing to perform at elite levels. General manager Brian Cashman remains committed to developing young players, but some in the industry believe that the Yankees need to go all in to win again short-term, before some of their veterans start to fade.
Halladay would be an ideal addition under such a plan. The Yankees balked at parting with prospects and a lucrative contract extension for Santana two years ago, but they could take a different view now.
