Revisiting the Blue Jays-Phillies Trade for Roy Halladay

As much as MLB fans would have loved to see the late Roy Halladay finish his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, the star right-hander, keen on competing for a championship before his career wound down, requested a trade to a contender.

Of course, the Blue Jays adhered to Halladay's demands and dealt him to the Philadelphia Phillies, who were one of his preferred destinations, during the 2009 offseason.

Toronto felt as though it got an adequate haul for a superstar like Halladay, but it didn't exactly pan out like that for the fellas north of the border.

Blue Jays-Phillies Roy Halladay Trade Details

Blue Jays Received: Travis d'Arnaud, Michael Taylor, and Kyle Drabek

Phillies Received: Roy Halladay

Halladay didn't notch the postseason glory that he long pursued in Toronto, but Philadelphia did make the playoffs in two of his four seasons in the City of Brotherly Love. The club even advanced to the NLCS in 2010, which is actually the season Halladay won his second Cy Young award (and threw a no-hitter in his very first playoff start!).

Across 103 starts for the Phillies, Doc finished 55-29 with a 3.25 ERA, 1.119 WHIP, and 622 strikeouts.

Considering that Philly didn't win a world championship with Halladay, this trade could have looked much worse had any of the prospects they sent to Toronto worked out for the Blue Jays.

Each player that the Blue Jays acquired in the blockbuster was regarded to have significant upside. Scouts even tabbed some of them as untouchable prospects. However, it's absolutely fair to say that none of those players turned into a consistent pro.

Drabek posted an ERA north of 5.00 in three seasons with the club. Taylor was immediately flipped to the Athletics in exchange for Brett Wallace, who never even played for Toronto. And d'Arnaud, a prospect at the time, was eventually shipped to Queens (along with Noah Syndergaard) in exchange for ace R.A. Dickey, who underwhelmed with the Jays following his tenure with the Mets.

It's *d'Arnaud, 2009 Blue Jays. But it's ok, we forgive you.

Who Won the Blue Jays-Phillies Roy Halladay Trade?

The Phillies won this blockbuster and we say that without hesitation. None of the trio of assets they coughed up lived up their billing. In return, they acquired a stud hurler that contributed a CY Young, a perfect game, and an NLCS berth for the fan base.

Halladay's time in Philly was unforgettable and iconic, with or without rings. We'll take the memories 10 times out of 10.