FanHouse J.P. Ricciardi

J.P. Ricciardi, fired Saturday morning as general manager of the Blue Jays, will be remembered for spending plenty and not winning enough.

Hired in 2001, Ricciardi was charged with trying to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox in the AL East. To do it, he splurged on free-agent signings such as A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan and long-term deals for Toronto players Vernon Wells and Alex Rios.

With the season winding down and the Blue Jays headed for their first losing season since 2005, it seems like there's a very good chance that general manager J.P. Ricciardi is going to lose his job when the season ends. His popularity in Toronto is waning and 2009 will mark his eighth season on the job without making the playoffs. The Blue Jays ownership reportedly went over his head in hiring Cito Gaston last year, so the Jays' record this year might be the final straw.

Ricciardi, however, isn't going down looking. When asked about the possibility of being replaced, Ricciardi went on a rant about the difficulties of playing in the American League East before taking a dig at Blue Jays fans for forgetting that the 1992 and 1993 World Series champion Blue Jays both had the highest payroll in baseball.

The White Sox will take on outfielder Alex Rios, and the remaining guaranteed $59.7 million on his contract (which runs through 2014), for the stretch run after successfully claiming him off of waivers from the Blue Jays, according to multiple reports.

Chicago will not send a player to Toronto in exchange for Rios, making the deal a straight salary dump.

Because of the money involved, it's a fascinating transaction.

Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in Baseball Brunch.

Now that the hands are dealt -- expect for one or two more this month -- we can examine the pennant races to come.

There wasn't much point in assessing the races until after Friday's non-waiver trade deadline, when we know what we're dealing with. Some important pieces will change hands after they clear waivers this month, but they probably won't be difference-makers.

Before we get to the predictions, though, let's talk about one trade that didn't happen.

There has been no shortage of teams interested in acquiring Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay since the moment he was put on the block, but all along, the one club pegged as the favorite in the sweepstakes has been the Phillies. Over the weekend, FanHouse's Ed Price reported that the Jays had to have both J.A. Happ and Kyle Drabek in any potential deal with Philadelphia, a concession the reigning world champs have so far been unwilling to make.

So with only four days remaining to the trade deadline, we have to wonder if this trade is going to happen. More importantly, should it happen? It's obvious why the Blue Jays want to move Halladay, and even more obvious why the Phillies want him in their rotation, but there are other things Philly should think about besides becoming an instant World Series favorite as it tries to swing a deal for the righty.

According to the Toronto Globe and Mail, Roy Halladay has not given the Blue Jays a list of teams to which he would approve a trade.

FanHouse has confirmed that there is no formal list, and that Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi has yet to ask Halladay to actually approve a deal. The two are known to be close, so it's fair to assume they chat about the situation often.

So with a week to go before the trade deadline, the Halladay picture has cleared up only somewhat. Based on FanHouse's conversations with people around the game:

• Halladay's priority, as he stated at the All-Star Game, is to get to the playoffs for the first time in his career. With the Phillies heavily involved in talks, having a deep minor-league system and owning a big lead in the NL East, they have to be considered the favorites.

One rumor yesterday had the Phillies closing in on a deal for Roy Halladay, but that was denied by two club executives more directly involved. In fact, it may take a while for this month's biggest drama to play out.

"If it's done," one Blue Jays official said, "I think it'll be right at the end [of the month]."

And a general manager whose club is involved with Halladay talks agreed.

"It's going to go down to the 31st [of July]," he said.

Well, maybe not that late. Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi said Tuesday he wants any Halladay deal agreed to by July 28.

---

---

If you're a Cardinals, Phillies, Dodgers or Rangers fan, I have some good news for you. Actually, it's good news to anybody who loves baseball but doesn't root for the Red Sox or Yankees. While the Blue Jays still seem intent on moving their ace, Roy Halladay, before the July 31 trade deadline, it's becoming apparent that it won't be to either Boston or New York.

Which makes a lot of sense. Why would you want to send one of the most dominant pitchers in the game to one of the two teams who have been dominating you for years? Now while they're not coming out and saying it, according to SI's Jon Heyman Toronto doesn't want to do anything foolish.

MLB Power Rankings: Where MLB FanHouse's editors, writers and bloggers team up to break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world.

Well, I'll tell you one thing: baseball ain't boring, folks. At least if you're in the middle class anyway; the upper crust is (somewhat) starting to establish itself across MLB's ranks and the bottom portion of the league is certainly holding steady. But in the middle, well, goodness. We have a lot of would-be title contenders. How's your semi-crappy team faring in the all-important MLB FanHouse Power Rankings this week? Find out after the jump.

Because of the many factors involved in a possible trade of Roy Halladay, it's "50-50 they trade him, maybe less," a person familiar with the Blue Jays front office told FanHouse.

Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi has said he will listen to offers for Halladay, his ace right-hander. But because Halladay is signed through 2010, any trade partner must have a deep farm system, the payroll flexibility to afford Halladay and expectations to contend this year and next.

Another source familiar with the issue said he believed the "Phillies are the leaders at this point."