E-Mailing It In

Each week, Dan Rubenstein, Ty Hildenbrandt and Jacob Osterhout will jump on e-mail and riff about various subjects in the news offered up by SI.com's Jimmy Traina.

Traina: The MLB trade deadline is coming up. Roy Halladay is the biggest name on the market. Which team needs Halladay the most? Are the Blue Jays crazy for even considering trading him?

Osterhout: The Blue Jays aren't crazy for considering trading Halladay assuming they get A LOT in return, which it seems like they are demanding. The Mets have already taken themselves out of contention due to the high price tag. And we all know that high price tags make the Yankees drool like a fat kid in a bakery. They just can't resist throwing lots of money at talent. But the team that needs Halladay the most is Philadelphia. Jamie Moyer's arm could fall off at any moment. J.A. Happ has beaten the odds so far, but who knows how long that will last? Don't even get me started on Joe Blanton. And stud Cole Hamels has been a disappointment so far. Of course, the Phillies have opened up a nice lead in the NL East and might be satisfied with their play so far, but once the playoffs roll around, their 4.46 ERA, which is seventh worst in baseball, won't cut it.

Rubenstein: Philly seems like the right fit, especially since the Dodgers don't want to give up Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw or Matt Kemp (possible law firm?). The big piece for Philly seems to be prospect Kyle Drabek, but if he has anywhere near the facial hair of his father, I'd be hesitant to pull the trigger myself.

Hildenbrandt: The Phillies need Halladay the most if they want to repeat as World Series champs. It shouldn't be too difficult to outlast their competition in the NL East, but the Phils will need better pitching if they hope to go anywhere in the postseason, especially with the inconsistency they've gotten thus far from Hamels. If I'm GM Ruben Amaro Jr., I'm putting together a package for Halladay regardless of what prospects you have to trade. There are people here in the Philly area who are up in arms at the notion of trading someone like J.A. Happ -- yes, really -- but his value will never be higher. Your window to win is now. As far as the Blue Jays go, I just wish we could get some kind of formal declaration stating their intentions. J.P. Ricciardi could do this before the start of each new season, you know, just to clue us in as to whether they plan on contending. I feel like this is a team with an identity crisis, caught somewhere between the Yankees and the Padres. And for Ricciardi to deal his top pitcher in a non-contract year after signing guys such as B.J. Ryan and Vernon Wells to huge deals, it just seems like there are a lot of mixed signals being sent.

Rubenstein: The Blue Jays need a series of shrewd trades for prospects that work out if they want any hope of competing. Somehow, they need to get rid of Wells' obnoxious contract (that didn't make sense even when he could hit) and basically start over. The model to hang with the Yankees and Sox belongs to Tampa Bay, and if I were Ricciardi, I'd start furiously taking notes, like he showed up for a college lecture 18 minutes late.

Osterhout: Maybe that identity crisis comes with having a major league team in Canada. I mean, if you can buy poutine at a baseball game, is it still a baseball game?

Hildenbrandt: I'm comfortable blaming the Blue Jays' woes entirely on Canada. Seriously, though, what is this team's philosophy? Does it have one? On one hand, they hire a guy who made a name for himself under Billy Beane's Moneyball philosophy; on the other, they're signing closers to $47 million contracts. You can't have it both ways. Either trade everyone and blow up the franchise, or sign Barry Bonds to be your DH and run your payroll up to $250 million. Pick a strategy.

Rubenstein: Since the economic crunch seems to be hurting the Jays and at least plays some role in looking to deal Halladay, I'm wondering if there are some odd jobs that Wells or Alex Rios can do before the game. Parking assistance, concession set-up, light-changer -- these would all work.

Hildenbrandt: If they deal Halladay, you'll have to add "spot starter" to that list of odd jobs.