I hinted at this in my morning post, but it makes sense for both teams. The Yankees have no room for catching prospect Jesus Montero right now, so include him and Phil Hughes in a package for Halladay. Toronto's GM Alex Anthopolous has been quoted saying he wants young pitching, a catcher and an outfielder in any deal for Halladay.,
Montero is known to be one of the best hitting prospects in the minor leagues, but he apparently is not a great catcher. Here is what Baseball America had to say about his defense in a recent chat:
Steven Alengakis (Brooklyn, NY): Everyone seems to agree that Jesus Montero will not be a caatcher at the ML level. Do people within the Yankees organization/scouts see him more as a RF (considering the dimensions of Yankee Stadium) or as a 1B? Do they think he has the ability to be adequate at either of those positions?
J.J. Cooper: Outside the Yankees organization there is some doubt if there is any position where Montero will be more than a below-average defender. His lack of footspeed and his already massive size means right field is a big stretch, and there is concern that he will be below average at first base because of his limited agility. First base is a much better bet, but he looks to be a 30-35 defense wherever he goes.
And on his bat:
Joe LeCates (Easton, MD): J.J., thanks for the chat. How close is the distance between Montero and Stanton? I imagine Montero's bat is the more sure-thing of the two, though Stanton's overall athleticism and package give him more possible value?
J.J. Cooper: Very close. I originally had Montero No. 1 until as recently as last week. You summed it up, Montero's bat is a better tool than Stanton's and they have similar power, but Stanton's a much better athlete with a clear position while Montero could very well be a 20-year-old DH. In the end, that ended up breaking the logjam.
Hughes was once considered a top starting pitching prospect, but the Yankees have used him in the bullpen of late, which is fine as many teams opt to use their young starting pitchers in the pen to ease them into starting at the major league level.
Would this be enough to get Halladay? Would the Yankees have to throw in a couple lower level prospects?