Boston Red Sox

Roy Halladay will never don a Blue Jays jersey again. As a fan base, we know that much. What we don't know is who will cowboy up and give up the necessary talent to land this ace. 

Many are speculating that the Halladay sweepstakes will eventually turn into a classic Red Sox versus Yankees bidding war. It's hard to argue. Last offseason, the boys in blue managed to spend $441 million for five players! That figure was over two times what the rest of the American League spent altogether.

Roy Halladay, the six time All Star, has been linked with the Red Sox. The real question is whether the Red Sox need another ace or should the payroll be better used elsewhere.

There are a number of reasons why Boston would look to trade for Halladay. The first of which is his obvious talent. The Toronto Blue Jay's star is one of the dominant pitchers in the American League. Last year he went 17-10 with a 2.79 ERA in a losing team. He was third in the AL in ERA and 4th in wins. His abilities as a pitcher are unquestionable.

You have to wonder if Theo Epstein knew Toronto was going to sign Alex Gonzalez and just let it happen, or if he was blindsided by it?

If you haven't heard, Alex Gonzalez signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Shortstop Alex Gonzalez has decided not to wait any longer while the Red Sox try to make up their mind… he has reportedly signed a one-year, $2.75 million dollar deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, with a team option for 2011 ($2.5 MM).

Gonzalez came to the Red Sox in a trade after starting the 2009 season with the Cincinnati Reds…although he is known primarily as a defensive whiz, he managed to hit .284 in 68 games after arriving in Boston.

I do not share the current fascination with acquiring Adrian Gonzalez or Roy Halladay, or for signing free agent Matt Holliday for that matter. For the life of me, I don’t understand the reason most fans, media members and pundits are drinking the Steinbrenner Kool-Aid.

Memo to Red Sox Nation: Got milk? Good. Then drink it, and leave the Kool-Aid alone.

Matt Holliday...Roy Halladay...this offseason is so damn confusing. But we know one thing - both players are available and at least one will sign a huge deal this off-season. Will one of the teams that bites be the Red Sox?

Look, with apologies to Jason Bay and John Lackey, Matt Holliday is the best free agent on the market. Lackey is good, to be sure, but he's the best starting pitcher in a weak market.