Rumor: Halladay headed to Target for a couple things

Rumors out of the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis now have Roy Halladay headed to a nearby Target for socks and possibly some toothpaste.

“That’s what we’re hearing this morning,” said ESPN’s Jayson Stark of the potential Halladay move. “It could happen later in the day, but it looks like his wife is prepared to send him to Target for a few errands.”

It had been widely speculated that the Blue Jays would trade Halladay before the season starts to either the Phillies, Angels, Red Sox or Yankees, but now it appears the former Cy Young Award winner is headed elsewhere.

“I don’t know how much stock you can put in rumors like this,” said Ruben Amaro on Thursday. “Yesterday, the big rumor was he was headed to the Angels and now he’s going to a Target. Tomorrow it’ll be something different. I think I even heard something about him going to the Phillies. I know. Crazy stuff, right?”

More Halladay madness at the Winter Meetings

I think everyone is pretty numb to the prospect of the Phillies somehow trading for Roy Halladay by now — especially since we get to trot Clifton Phifer Christ out there every fifth day — but SI’s Jon Heyman is saying the team is jumping into the mix again.

These things rarely actually turn out the way we all think they will, but it’s looking like the Angels are in the best position to land Halladay with the Phils just sticking around to see how far the price may drop before they consider getting heavily involved.

Right now, the Angels are reportedly offering Joe Saunders, Erick Aybar and minor league OF Peter Bourjos for Halladay, which is a less than the summer asking price of Kyle Drabek, J.A. Happ and either Domonic Brown or Michael Taylor, but still pretty steep. I’d say a similar deal with the Phillies would involve Happ, Taylor and either Shane Victorino or a lower-level prospect, which is doable but still a bit much.

Not only is there the issue of the trade, but with Lee and Halladay’s contracts expiring after 2010, the Phils would essentially have to choose between one or the other, so this is looking like a one-year fling even if it gets done. Stranger things have happened, though. I think with the right combination of a World Series win next season and if Dave Montgomery knocks off a couple banks, we could work something out and keep both pitchers for the next 10 years and completely forget what it was ever like to watch losing baseball in this town.