Winter Meetings Wednesday

*The weather outside is starting to get as nasty as the chicken pot pie I nuked in my hotel room at 2:30 a.m. after wandering back from the press room washed down by a Red Stripe and a half a carton of chocolate chip ice cream. Mmm-mm. The breakfast of champions. News just in that the airport is closed. In any case another day of the Jays trolling for dollars searching for teams with an itch and the prospects to scratch it. Here's a review of where some of the prospective Doc suitors stand.

The Phillies are talking about trading Joe Blanton. If that happened it would be a sign they are opening up a rotation spot, saving $5.5 million in salary and perhaps looking in the direction of Roy Halladay. That would be the best landing spot for Doc, on a personal basis.

The Dodgers placed the entire operation under Dennis Mannion lending new stability to the baseball team in a time when Frank McCourt is busy with divorce proceedings. GM Ned Colletti was able to say that his team will not decrease payroll in 2010 and in fact may increase. The fact that they did not offer arbitration to Randy Wolf or any of their own free agents gives them a rotation need and some financial flexibility. They still don't want to give up any of their young major-league studly starters.

The Angels need a starter especially if they don't re-sign John Lackey. If Erick Aybar is off the table as untouchable, how about if the Jays ask for Brandon Wood along with other parts and throw in Edwin Encarnacion with Halladay. The Angels were looking at Wood as a replacement for Chone Figgns. Encarnacion is signed for $4.75 for one more year.

The Red Sox are intent on Jason Bay. If they don't get him, they will feel pressure to counter the Yankees Curtis Granderson roundhouse blow. Halladay is the perfect counterblow and they have the pieces necessary to satisfy the Jays needs..

The Yankees...well, they're the Yankees. The latest talk is that they have re-entered the fray.

*It was 27 years ago today that the Jays obtained first baseman Fred McGriff, pitcher Mike Morgan and outfielder Dave Collins for Dale Murray and Tom Dodd. That was a great deal, but the most important trade came eight years later when GM Pat Gillick used McGriff andTony Fernandez to obtain Joe Carter and Robby Alomar from the Padres. Two years later they had their first World Series.

*The Milton Bradley out of Chicago rumours have gotten more outrageous than the player himself.

Comments

[Phil]

That Fred McGriff trade is one of my favourites Jays moves of all time. I'll now think back to that one epic HR McGriff hit into RF I think in his rookie year that broke the Yankees back in a game.

Also very important was that Dave Collins helped the Jays end their bullpen woes by trading for Bill Caudill. Well, didn't work out great, but Caudill opened the door for Tom Henke. And the rest they say...