While Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said he doesn't expect the Phillies to be a major player in the bidding for Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman or Roy Halladay, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News suggests what Amaro didn't do was erase either pitcher from the club's radar.

Several media reports have quoted rival executives as saying the Phillies should not be counted out of the Halladay sweepstakes. 

As for Chapman, Amaro said his eventual price tag would be too high for the Phillies to pay for an unproven pitcher with command issues and a potentially steep learning curve (both professionally and personally).  However, the Phillies have talked to Chapman's agents,

Blue Jays' manager Cito Gaston told the Toronto Star that it's not a matter of "if" but "when" Roy Halladay will be traded.

GM Alex Anthopoulos has been hush about any details, but Gaston says Anthopoulos has kept Gaston in the loop and asks for his opinion.

Gaston said, "Once we know that [what we get], we can find out what direction we might be going. Right now it's in limbo. There are possibilities, but nothing's happened yet."

Gaston suggested his preference would be to get an innings-eater in the rotation, a catcher, an outfielder ... all players that could help the major league club in 2010. But the Jays may not be in a position to get all that.

The report lists the Angels, Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers and Rays still in the mix.

Another report in the New York Post credits an MLB club official with saying the Angels remain the front-runners to land Halladay.  The source also says the Angels are willing to include Erick Aybar and Joel Saunders in a deal

Angels GM Tony Reagins did not rule out the possibility of dealing Erick Aybar, the highly touted shortstop, in an apparent move to make the Angels front-runners for Toronto ace Roy Halladay, as reported by the LA Times .

The Blue Jays are looking for a young starter, catcher and shortstop in exchange for Halladay, and it was reported last summer that Aybar was the sticking point in talks with the Blue Jays.

"I never said Aybar was the sticking point in that deal," Reagins said. "He has tremendous value for us, but Brandon Wood can play shortstop and third base, and Maicer Izturis can play shortstop, third and second, so there's some flexibility if we wanted to include any of those three guys in a trade."

Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times wraps up the Rays' winter meetings thus far:

Rumors of a trade involving Pat Burrell are not true but club officials did say they talked with several teams and agents but have no "imminent" deals.

In the past, the Rays have inquired about Roy Halladay but they did not talk to the Jays on Monday.

Furthermore, their goals for the offseason are trying to make some low-cost improvements to the bullpen and addressing the catching situation (keeping Dioner Navarro and Kelly Shoppach or trading/non-tendering one.

"Most of our energy is being spent on the relief pitcher market, but we've got a couple other things out there that we're having conversations about," Andrew Friedman said. "Some of it is looking ahead to future years, and some of it would have an impact in '10, but I think we're approaching these meetings as we have every other meetings — which is we've got one eye on the present, one eye on the future."

Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times lists five issues facing the Angels as they head into the winter meetings:

1. Rotation.  Can they keep John Lackey or can they land Roy Halladay?
2. Big Bat.  They are pursuing free-agent outfielder Jason Bay; catcher Mike Napoli is another option.
3. Leadoff spot. Could be filled from within by Maicer Izturis or Erick Aybar.
4. Brandon Wood. The team's top position-playing prospect for will start the season at third, but he's out of options and the Angels could lose him if they send him back down.
5. Bullpen.  If they don't re-sign Darren Oliver, they have a staff of only right-handed relievers.

According to Toronto Star Sports Columnist Richard Griffin , the Red Sox, Yankees, Angels, Phillies, Mets and Dodgers are the teams truly in the Roy Halliday sweepstakes.

The Cardinals, Cubs and Rangers may be in it but not for the fight, and long-shots include the Brewers, Astros, Rockies and White Sox.

Wherever Halladay lands, Griffin speculates the Jays are in a hurry to get this done so they can proceed with other plans that involve similar building blocks.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman will host a meeting in Tampa to find out just how much money is available to spend this offseason, as reported in the New York Post .

The two biggest needs for the Yankees are left field and starting pitching and Cashman has put off formal talks with representatives of free agents until he receives a budget that, historically, increases for the right player.

The Yankees have informed the Blue Jays to keep them posted on developments with Roy Halladay and Scott Boras, Johnny Damon's agent, has hinted that four teams are interested in Damon if the Yankees don't offer the three or four year deal Damon wants.

A.J. Burnett makes a pitch for the Yankees to acquire former teammate Roy Halladay, as reported by the New York Daily News .

During their three years as teammates in Toronto, Burnett credited Halladay with helping him become a more consistent pitcher. 

"I think it's time for him to get a fresh start," Burnett said. "He's paid his dues there, been the face of the organization, done everything they've asked him to do and more. At this point in his career, I think he just wants to win."

Halladay has told the Blue Jays that he would waive his no-trade clause to go to the Yankees, while the Red Sox, Angels and Phillies.