What would be a better Halladay trade?

The two schools of thought on this whole clusterfuck are that the Jays either try to pry the top 2 prospects from a team plus 1 lower prospect, or they try to package Vernon Wells'/Alex Rios' contract with Halladay and take back a less promising package of prospects (or maybe even none at all). Which one of those approaches do you feel would benefit the Jays more?

I feel like the Jays will eventually go for the first option. But I think the second would help this team so much more, in the long-run. I wouldn't package Alex Rios with Halladay, because I still think Toronto can get a team to bite on his age and potential (we wouldn't get back too much, but we'd at least get rid of him). But I would absolutely love to see the Jays use Halladay to ship Vernon out of here. I don't care how many promising young players we get, this team cannot be successful while it's built around Wells. We're an $80 mill payroll team that can't invest that much money in an underachiever. Plus his deal is badly backloaded. It's become obvious how much the dude relied on his athleticism during his good years, because now that he's getting older, his hitting mechanics look terrible. That aging has also made him become a very mediocre defensive player (as opposed to the Gold Glover he used to be). But more than anything, I'm annoyed with how he's mentally checked himself out. He's made little effort to fundamentally change the way he plays the game and seems perfectly content to just pick up his paycheques from a team that wants him out (the fans have started booing him). Getting rid of him would be the second best rebuilding move for this team (firing JP Ricciardi would be the first).

 

Option 1.

I would hold out for a slightly better deal from Philly.

They want Halladay bad and they will do pretty much all they can to get him.

Push them that bit further.

 

I would try and package League with option 1. He's just so garbage, it's insane.

I'm not a fan of Wells like I used to be and I would get rid of him, no problem. But, I would expect some good prospects because Roy and Wells can still make a team good, just not ours.

 

Ideally sure, but who would want them? Certainly not Philly.

 

I haven't heard then mentioned in connection with Halladay but I think the Giants would be a really good fit for your second package. They're surprisingly in contention, have uncertainty in their pitching staff with Johnson's injury and an open #5 spot, and need another bat. With their offense, they've got to know that they will need 3 really good pitchers in the postseason (assuming they make it). They've also got plenty of young talent. I think Posey is the only untouchable guy, maybe Bumgardner, but that still leaves Tim Alderson as a young possible ace, Pucetas, another good young pitcher, Jonathan Sanchez as an MLB ready young guy, Merking valdez, who teams supposedly are calling about (maybe they think they can convert him into a closer?) and Angel Villalona, a very young power hitting 1B.

I'm not saying the Giants would trade away all of them but I think Villalona, Alderson and Sanchez for Halladay and Rois sounds pretty good.