Danny Moloshok/Reuters

by Patrick ‘Rey’ Reynell

It is that time again. Let’s hear from you readers. We had another week of stellar performances. Pick the ONE that stands out to you, and tell us a story.

I’m going to stray from the obvious pick here (it is, after all, the year of the pitcher) and go with a consistent plate performance. The Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista had one heck of a week swinging the bat. In total he had 5 homeruns, 13 RBIs, and struck out just once. His batting average, which started at .245 on Monday, jumped to .260.

The Jays’ right fielder now leads the Majors with 32 homeruns on the season. They finished the week 4-2 after dropping this weekend’s games to Cleveland by a total of 2 runs.

Toronto travels to New York tomorrow for a 3-game series against the Yankees. Bautista should keep his bat hot; he is hitting .348 with 3 homeruns against the AL East-leading Yanks this season.

Who gets your POTW?

         It is a deadly syndrome that is starting to sweep Major League baseball. There has been only one case known until recently and that case has existed only in Canada. But now rumors are circulating , that the syndrome is slowly spreading across the United States.  It is the Roy Halladay Syndrome.

Possibly the best pitcher in all of Major League Baseball – the Toronto Blue Jays are rumored to have Halladay on the trading block. Check that – the rumor is no longer fiction, as General Manager J.P. Riccardi is fact dangling Halladay in front of all the General Managers throughout baseball. With the likely scenario that the Blue Jays will not be able to re-sign Halladay after the 2010 season – Riccardi is left with the only option left available – trade him for prospects After all – who wouldn’t want to add a pitcher like Roy Halladay? Let’s look at his resume:

 2002-2008:

Wins: 113

Loses: 49

Complete Game: 37

Avg. Innings Pitched: 210

Avg. ERA: 2.50

 Clearly, Halladay has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the game over the past 7 years. Averaging 210 innings, Halladay is almost a day off for your bullpen – eating up innings with quality starts. The 37 complete games is especially impressive considering teams use of pitch counts and specialized bullpens

 But what will it take to get Halladay? Certainly a player of this caliber will not come cheap. Expect Riccardi and the Blue Jays to demand a king’s ransom. Players that are major league ready will be in the discussion. So will the phrase – “Top Prospects”. It will be the internal struggle that teams will undergo – are you willing to sacrifice your future for the present? Trading for Halladay could amount to no more then a year and a half rental. So a team would have to ask itself if this trade would put them over the top and bring a World Series championship home. And they will have to answer honestly to that question as well.

 But who has the Halladay Syndrome? Some teams have it already (see Philadelphia Phillies). Some teams wish their location could allow the Syndrome to exist (see Pittsburgh Pirates).  Some teams probably want it, but can’t because they are in the same division (New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox). But be very careful, as the Halladay Syndrome can be deadly. If applied correctly by the right General Manager, the trade could go down in history as one of the best. But if the Syndrome sets in on the wrong team – well – a silver platter will be delivered shortly after.

 Let’s hear your thoughts: