Yankees Will Decide Whether They Want Roy Halladay

John Lackey might soon be a New York Yankee. Jason Bay may soon be a New York Yankee. Oh, and Roy Halladay may soon be a New York Yankee.

The New York Yankees are ready to rip up the winter meetings in Indianapolis...or at least use them as their springboard to doing some serious damage . It's being reported that the Yankees are 'in the game' for Halladay; it's probably more accurate to say they could own the Halladay game if they really wan to.

Every year the Yankees discuss cutting their payroll and how they may not really make any big time moves, and yet every year the Yankees seem to step up and get whatever it is they need done done. The Yankees did take the winter off after the 2007 season, in a calculated move with an eye towards the following year's free agent class. As a result, in 2008, they missed the postseason for the first time since 1993.

This calculated move, however, paid off perfectly for General Manager Brian Cashman, however, as during the following postseason they were able to go full bore to secure CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and AJ Burnett. Of course, it is a very different world now, with an economy that is much different than it was in December of 2007.

The Yankees, however, with a new Yankee Stadium that is a virtual cash machine, can sit back and play the vulture. So for all of this talk about cutting the payroll and managing a process, remember that at the end of the day the Yankees have the cash and the mandate. While this year's free agent class is nowhere near what last year's was, there are still some very attractive options out there and the Yankees are in the driver's seat.

The crown jewel of this off-season is clearly Roy Halladay. The catch here, though, is that Halladay is not yet a free agent. He has one year to go on his contract, at $16 million. Halladay wants to pitch for a winner, of course, but at 32 years old he also wants a major contract that will secure him into his last 30's. While the Yankees can certainly afford to pay him, they may not need to. There are no other teams, not even the Red Sox, who can truly compete for him on equal effort.

The Yankees have prized young pitchers, specifically Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, that Halladay's current team, the Toronto Blue Jays, would love to add to their staff. But if the Yankees need to negotiate a long term contract with Halladay before he and the Blue Jays would agree to a trade, then the Yankees are much less likely to give up both. In fact, the Yankees may ultimately decide that they do not want to give up both no matter what the circumstances of their contract negotiation with Halladay.

But the bottom line in this, and most all postseasons, is that the Yankees effectively have the final say. They can spend more, and have more to give, than any other team that is realistically in the running for Roy Halladay. While the Yankees don't always elect to take the top prize (see Johan Santana), it ultimately will be their choice. They are probably a 50/50 shot to get Halladay; unless, of course, they decide they definitely want him.

Source: Bill Madden, "Gentlemen, start your wallets! GMs rev their engines with winter meetings set for Indy", nydailynews.com