Doc Halladay Back in the Mix

ESPN's Rumor Central highlights the latest news on Roy Halladay:

At the just-concluded general managers meetings, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos likely heard plenty of opinions on what to do with

Roy Halladay

. If the Jays decide to move Halladay, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News says it could result in a

bidding war

between (who else?) the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Feinsand adds that team president Paul Beeston is unsure as to whether the team should trade Halladay. According to SI's Jon Heyman, Anthopolous has

"no great aversion"

to trading Halladay to another club in the AL East.

Of course the Blue Jays should trade Roy Halladay.  The fact that he wasn't traded over the summer was a gross misjudgment on the part of for GM JP Ricciardi. The Jays new GM Alex Anthopoulos seems to have a better perspective on this and, truthfully, it's easier for him to tear down the walls and build them back up again.  He's the new guy, brought in to right the wrongs and failures of the previous administration.  His first order of business should be to get as much value from free agents to be on his roster as possible. Halladay fits that bill nicely. As far as how this impacts the Yankees, there are a few things to consider.  As Tom K broke down for us recently, the Yankees rotation only has two spots definitely filled at the moment: Sabathia and Burnett.  I assume that Joba Chamberlain will again get a spot in the rotation next year, as will Phil Hughes, and I agree with both those choices. The swing guys here are Andy Pettitte and Chien-Ming Wang. Wang has been told by Dr. James Andrews that he can start throwing in December with a possible return to the rotation in late April or early May.  This is assuming that the Yankees make an effort to keep Wang.  The scuttlebutt has been that they may not offer him arbitration, non-tender him, and then offer him a reduced contract with incentives.  Most of that may depend on what they can glean from his medical reports and the actual condition of his arm. Andy Pettitte has played the Roger Clemens Retirement Game for the last couple of seasons.  From his mouth, he hopes to decide sooner than later this winter, but that may also depend on how much guaranteed money the Yankees want to give him after "low-balling" him with $5 million plus incentives last winter.  Pettitte reached most of those incentives and got the $10 million he wanted, but the negotiations were long and tedious. If the Yankees were to trade for Halladay, it would have to come at the expense of a pitcher.  Chances are, that pitcher would be Hughes or Joba, but probably not both if the Yankees have their way.  I can see the Yankees being more open to trading Joba at this stage, given what appear to be head problems and an inability to keep his mechanics consistent.  If they are starting to believe that the bullpen may be his future, they may be smart to get more value for him as a perceived starter now. I don't think Hughes is touchable at this stage. The bigger question is whether Halladay is worth trading for.  Any package would have to include Hughes or Joba, possibly Austin Jackson and Austin Romaine or Jesus Montero.  I don't know that the Yankees are that worried about their starting pitching to give up that kind of package. I know I wouldn't. If it means keeping him away from the Red Sox, though, all bets could be off.