9/30: Scrub time

GAME NOTES: Well, the Sox lost last night... but clinched the Wild Card. Whatever works, I guess. Scrub lineup tonight, check the comments for it. Please note I will be holding live chats for every playoff game the Red Sox are in.

Jays turned down Sox’s 6-for-1 offer on Halladay

I'm on the Rotoworld.com beat, and this just came across my desk:

Bob Elliot of the Toronto Sun reports that the Red Sox offered the Blue Jays six pitchers for Roy Halladay at the trading deadline. The names: Daniel Bard, Michael Bowden, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, Nick Hagadone and Justin Masterson. That's quite an impressive array of names, and it's shocking Toronto didn't snap it up. The scout that revealed this deal said the Jays had difficulty projecting Masterson's future, and -- probably most important --- "the Jays were worried about Halladay beating them next year." Obviously, Masterson and Hagadone are no longer with the Sox club so it's unlikely a deal could be reached in the offseason. If it's going to take more than that package to land Halladay, GM J.P. Ricciardi won't find any takers.

What do you think? Are we lucky the Jays turned the deal down?

News, Notes, Series Preview

The Sox host Toronto for a three game set beginning Friday. Boston will send Beckett and Buchholz to the mound for the first two matches, with the Sunday headliner featuring Lester versus Halladay.

Buckle your seat belts. It's going to be a wild ride. Series preview, news, and notes inside...

8/19: Buchholz takes on third straight ace.

Roy Halladay, current ace, takes on potential future ace, Clay Buchholz. Buchholz has been drawing aces for the past three starts now. Before this, he faced off with CC Sabathia and Justin Verlander, losing both games, but pitching decent enough.

Trade watch: Theo ‘burning midnight oil’

All the recent trade rumors around the Sox have your head spinning? No worries. Evan summarizes everything you need to know leading up to the trade deadline and handicaps the Sox's chances.

7 names to watch for as Red Sox approach deadline

With the acquisition of Adam LaRoche and Chris Duncan, the Red Sox have made some aggressive moves to shore up their offense. With the moves, it is likely that the Sox are done acquiring anyone who primarily plays first and left field. Thus, Ryan Spilborghs and Josh Willingham have been removed from the list below outlining several names to keep an eye on. I've also removed Scott Rolen, as the LaRoche acquisition means we can give Lowell breaks and put Youkilis at third.

This leaves three more names to fill up to reach the 15 bats I promised in part one. I added one more bat, but for the other two names, I've gone ahead and slotted pitching in there, largely in response to this article in the Globe, which states the Sox probably have their hands in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes now given the recent pitching struggles of the Sox. I'm not sold on the chances of a big move, but the pitching has certainly got to a point where it's not out of the realm of possibility to see a trade for a pitcher.

TOR 3, BOS 1: Best wishes

If Roy Halladay gets traded he definitely left Toronto Blue Jays fans a splendid last impression.

7/19: Duel in the Dome

Today's game features one of the best pitching matchups of the season with Roy Halladay facing off against a rolling Jon Lester as the Sox aim to take the first series of the second half in Toronto. Could this be the last time the Sox face Halladay in a Blue Jays uniform?

Know Thine Enemy 2009: Toronto Blue Jays

It wasn't long ago that the Toronto Blue Jays were expected to be in the position now occupied by the Tampa Bay Rays as the third wheel atop the American League East. While there is some strong young talent in Toronto, J.P. Riccardi's five year plan is looking more like a two term presidential rebuilding plan in action. It's hard to believe that this team is anything resembling "on the road to competing" in the most vaunted division in baseball.

Last year was a mess for the Blue Jays. Between injuries, slumps, manager changes, and overall bad luck, the Jays still found themselves dreaming of a run at the Wild Card late in the Summer. While an 86-win season was respectable and would have put you in the playoffs in the NL West, it yielded another season leaving Jays fans frustrated with what could have been if there were any semblance of an offense behind one of the best rotations in baseball.

9/20: Lester v. Doc

Prev. Gm: Boston Red Sox (90-63) @ Toronto Blue Jays (82-72) Jon Lester (15-5, 3.15) @ Roy Halladay (18-11, 2.77)…