Yankee Shamustorial: Time To Plan A Stealth Operation?

In a post from Timmay at MLBTR a few days ago, a buzz is in the air North of the Border. And no, I'm not talking about their Terrorist geese...

This summer, assuming the Toronto Blue Birds start the year off poorly and reside in the poverty stricken sub-.500 ghetto of the American League come July, Roy Halladay could be dealt for the right price, sure to be a king's ransom.

Can anyone envision a scenario where if, hypothetically, the Yankees were out of playoff contention, or if a certain trade or two could happen, that they wouldn't LOVE to acquire Halladay, who went 20-11 in 2008 with an ERA of 2.78 with 206 strikeouts? Halladay is owed $30 million for 2009 and 2010.

What if CC Sabathia blows out his elbow? What if AJ Burnett turns into AJ Burnett? What if Chien-Ming Wang breaks his foot in a "Dance Dance Revolution" dance-off against a 17-year old Korean kid at Jeepers in the Jersey Garden Mall on one of his off-days?

Now, I am in no way saying that acquiring Halladay would be as easy for Brian Cashman as dropping some spare change on a poor, unsuspecting rival GM, a la the Abreu/Lidle deal in 2006. If the New York Yankees want to obtain one of the most dominant pitchers in the American League in the last seven years (since 2002, Halladay, 31, is 113-49 and his career ERA is 3.52), they are going to have to get creative and crafty.

Those Syrup Slinging Northerners aren't going to send him to New York, Boston, or any other A.L team unless the price is exorbitantly high. So here's where the Florida Marlins come into play.

The Marlins have a stocked farm system, ranked 8th in MLB by Keith Law recently. And everyone knows the Marlins have no money whatsoever for payroll. The trick is, Cashman has to identify a team with low payroll restrictions, with young talent and in the National League. He needs a team that could make the trade prospect-wise, but not have the money to afford to keep Halladay.

If C-Money could coax Florida into sending three or four top prospects to TOR for Halladay, a day or two later the Yankees could then offer to stimulate the Marlins farm system and bank account, using their pitching depth and perhaps an OFer, along with cash (at this point, what the hell is a few more million?) to snag Halladay in a incognito/unsuspecting three-way deal.

Imagine if major injuries strike. Think of the panic if Derek Jeter, Mo Rivera, Jorge Posada, Hideki Matsui, Andy Pettitte and Johnny Damon start to show their ages? What if Alex Rodriguez folds under pressure AGAIN and puts up a stinker this year? What if after spending nearly a half billion this offseason and they are in second place and/or hovering at .500 in July?

Start plotting, Cash. Call Jeffrey Loria, Michael Hill and Larry Beinfest, and tell him that if they can swindle Halladay away from Toronto, you'll make it worth their while. Christ, the Blue Jays GM is JP Ricchardi! He's from Worcester, Massachusetts, so you know he doesn't have wit, intelligence or smarts on his side.

Would you give the Marlins Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Zach McAllister, Xavier Nady and Cash (say $7.5 million) for Roy Halladay?

I would. Today.