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Avoid Temptation by Jared Carrabis
Halladay's performance teases RSN of what will never be

To all the Sox fans out there who think that Halladay is coming to Boston, you need to come to terms with reality.

To all the Sox fans who want Halladay even more than before after watching his start against Boston on Sunday, I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but he's not coming here unless it's as an opponent. As a matter of fact, I don't think he's going anywhere; at least, not yet.

The chances that Halladay will be dealt to Boston are about as good as a player who's name doesn't rhyme with Jalbert Bluejohls winning the National League MVP; it's just not going to happen. It's not because JP Ricciardi isn't willing to deal his ace, and perhaps the best pitcher in the game, within the Jays' own division. My gut tells me that Halladay doesn't get dealt at all.

Why? Because I just don't see the Blue Jays getting what they're looking for. If it's two top prospects they're looking for, their chances of getting a contending team to part with two pieces of their potential future are slim to none. Keep in mind, this isn't a trade deadline situation like the Red Sox were faced with relating to Manny Ramirez last July where the player absolutely needed to be moved. Halladay wants to stay in Toronto; that's his first preference.

Being a 10-5 player (10 years in the league, 5 years with the same team) Halladay can veto a trade to any team he so chooses. Halladay has been very vocal about his desire to stay in Toronto, but if Ricciardi can find him a home with a contender, he will likely accept. The Blue Jays' ace can block a trade to any team he doesn't want to pitch for, which slims the list of hopeful teams to an even more elite list.

Halladay wants to pitch for a team that he can realistically help win a World Series. Teams that are in contention to win a World Series want to stay contenders for many years down the road. For a team to acquire Halladay's services, they'll have to forfeit the farm to bring him in, which will make most teams reluctant to part with their superstars of the future.

Halladay had been 0-2 in his last four starts since coming off of the disabled list, but on Sunday, the right-hander dominated the best team in the American League. The Red Sox had a few scoring chances north of the border, but that's why they call them "chances;" sometimes you score, sometimes you don't.

The Sox may have matched the Jays in the hit column with six hits apiece, but Halladay rendered the Boston offense helpless. The Red Sox were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia were a combined 4-for-8 (.500) against Halladay on Sunday. The rest of the Red Sox lineup combined to go 2-for-24 (.083) against the right-handed ace.

Jon Lester pitched well, but not well enough to beat Roy Halladay. A double that plated two runs by Rod Barajas in the bottom of the second was all Halladay would need, as he cruised to a complete-game victory over the Red Sox.

"I kind of stand by the statement I made the other day. They should have traded him the other day, and to a National League team," Terry Francona said jokingly. "You don't tip your hat during a game because you want to beat him, but that was a pretty good pitcher."

Lester considers his start on Sunday to be an "off-day", but if he could keep this Toronto team to only three runs on a day where he wasn't at his best, he deserves a lot of credit.

"He's one of the best pitchers in the league. I know he had a slow start this year, but he's one of the best pitchers in the league," Francona said of Lester. "He knows it -- he should know it. We know it. He pretty much went toe-to-toe with Halladay. He didn't quite match him, but on a lot of days, we're in here saying he walked a couple, but he still pitched great. But it was Halladay."

Monday's pitching match-up:

After a 2-1 victory to complete their sweep of the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, the Yankees moved within a game of the Red Sox. The Sox will head to steamy Arlington, Texas for three games at Rangers Ballpark before heading back home. They'll send John Smoltz to the mound in game one against Kevin Millwood. In his last start, Smoltz defeated the Kansas City Royals for his first win in a Red Sox uniform, striking out seven along the way.

In case you missed it:

I was on The Baseball Show on Comcast SportsNet over the weekend talking about the Halladay trade rumors. Here's the video: