More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

Browse more photos »

Tom Dakers of Bluebird Banter was kind enough to answer a few questions about the state of the Blue Jays:

1. Why wasn't Roy Halladay traded? Was Ricciardi asking for too much? Will (when?) he be traded before the end of 2010? Any chance Toronto re-signs him?

As much as I never believe anything JP says (not that I think there is anything wrong with a GM lying to the media) it seems like this time he was telling the truth, he said that he wouldn't trade Doc unless he was overwhelmed with the offer. I figured at the last minute he'd panic and take less. I am kind of proud that he stuck to his guns.

I think it is likely he will be traded this winter, the good part about trading him in the winter is more teams would be in competition to get him. I think, at the deadline, the Phillies were the only team that was really actively trying to get him, in the winter we wouldn't be limited to team that are in the race at the moment. It is also possible that the Jays keep him for next season and see how things go. We've had several injured starters, hopefully next year things will be more settled and perhaps we can make a run.

I think it is possible he re-signs, his wife is very active in team charities and has been interviewed a lot and she clearly likes it here. The interim team CEO Paul Beeston said that the team would have the money to re-sign him and that he would talk to Halladay himself about it. I think Doc would like to win, if he thinks it could happen in Toronto he'd be happy, if he doesn't then he'd go somewhere else.

UPDATE 6:40 - Alex Rios was finally traded to the Chicago White Sox, and by traded, I mean Chicago gave nothing in return (via MLBTR).

2. What do you think of the other deals the Jays made?

The only real move was the Rolen trade. Scott Rolen was a personal favorite of mine to watch, but I can be realistic and see that Rolen's trade value will never be higher. Considering that he wanted to be traded closer to his home, I think we did well in the trade. Edwin Encarnacion doesn't excite me that much, but he does have some power, but the two young pitchers we got look good. Josh Roenicke has a great arm in the pen and looks like he could be a closer. Zach Stewart is the most interesting player in the trade. He has pitched in A, AA and AAA this year and has been great at each level, compiling a 1.63 ERA total. Until this year he was being used as a reliever but has been a starter this year. They have put him back in the pen to limit his innings. In a year or two he could be one of our best starters.

3. Will the Jays trade Alex Rios, or let his new team take his contract (or just keep him)?

They won't let anyone just take his contract, but I could see a trade being worked out. I do question whether it is a good time to trade him, I hate trading guys when their value is at its lowest. If you listen to the sports call in shows, people are always asking ‘why don't they trade ‘lousy player X'?' Well, it is because other teams aren't stupid, it is hard to get value for guys having bad seasons. Rios is having a terrible season, but he isn't that bad of a player. I'm guessing he stays with the team.

Thanks, Tom. I'm afraid we're going to have to re-live all the Halladay talk in just a few months time, much like Johan Santana a couple years ago.