The Jays Don't Plan on Trading Halladay To the Red Sox or Yankees

If you're a Cardinals, Phillies, Dodgers or Rangers fan, I have some good news for you. Actually, it's good news to anybody who loves baseball but doesn't root for the Red Sox or Yankees. While the Blue Jays still seem intent on moving their ace, Roy Halladay, before the July 31 trade deadline, it's becoming apparent that it won't be to either Boston or New York.

Which makes a lot of sense. Why would you want to send one of the most dominant pitchers in the game to one of the two teams who have been dominating you for years? Now while they're not coming out and saying it, according to SI's Jon Heyman Toronto doesn't want to do anything foolish.

Executives familiar with the trade talks say Jays people told the Yankees and Red Sox that they prefer to deal Halladay -- if he's dealt at all -- to a team outside their division. Further proving their point, the Jays haven't followed up recently on a Yankees call expressing interest 10 days ago.

Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi won't publicly rule out an intra-divisional blockbuster, but a directive to look elsewhere first may come from above. This is such a big deal, one competing executive said, that acting club president Paul Beeston and ownership are heavily involved.

Which is great news for the Phillies because if it's true and the Jays really are freezing out Boston and New York, two of their biggest competitors to land Halladay have just been removed from the equation. Plus, I would think that any National League team has an advantage over any American League team whether they're in the Jays' division or not.

If you're going to move somebody of Halladay's caliber it's only natural you'd want to move him somewhere you don't have to worry about facing him.