Move over Boston and New York, two front runners have reportedly emerged for Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay.
According to a Fox Sports report, the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have stepped up their quest to acquire Halladay, who both teams tried to add last July at the non-waiver trade deadline.
The Phillies are said to be including pitcher J.A. Happ, and either outfield prospect Domonic Brown or Michael Taylor in their offer.
In a separate report, the New York Daily News says that there is a chance that left-handed pitcher Cole Hamels could be the pitcher included in a Halladay deal.
The Angels package is believed to include pitcher Joe Saunders, shortstop Erick Aybar and outfield prospect Peter Bourjos.
The report also suggest that if the Jays and Angels make a deal, that the Jays would likely try to flip Joe Saunders to another club to help fill other needs.
Halladay would have to approve any deal because of his no-trade clause, and any team that acquires him would more than likely want him to sign an extension before any deal would be completed. For Halladay to agree to a deal with the Angels, he would have to train in Arizona, which is reportedly a sticking point.
The 32-year old went 17-10 last season with a 2.79 ERA. He threw a league-leading nine complete games and racked up an impressive 239 innings pitched.
Halladay has a 148-76 career record with a 3.43 ERA. He won the American League Cy Young award in 2003 and has finished in the top five in Cy Young voting four other times.
