As the 2009 baseball season came to an end with the Toronto Blue Jays out of the playoffs and trade rumours concerning their ace pitcher Roy Halladay swirled, I kept a close watch on which games he would be starting. I was fortunate to attend his 5-0 shutout of the Seattle Mariners on September 25, which turns out with be his last game as a Blue Jay as it has been announced that Halladay has been traded to the Philadelphia Phillies as part of a three way deal also involving the Seattle Mariners.
Key pluses for Halladay are the chance to play for a team that has a shot at being playoff bound and has a spring training facility near his off season home. The Phillies’ wish for a contract extension is likely also a positive for the 32 year old Halladay.
For Toronto the key was more arms. Toronto Star baseball columnist Richard Griffin writes:
The highlight of the trade for the Jays would be the addition of two starting pitchers. The Phillies would send J.A. Happ, who went 12-4 as a rookie last season. He would join the Jays' major-league rotation while the Mariners would send Phillippe Aumont, a 20-year-old from Gatineau, Que., who has a chance to be a No. 2 starter down the road. Halladay would stay with the Phils and the M's would land Cliff Lee to pair with Felix Hernandez at the top of their rotation.
