With the recent announcement that the Jays might be open to dealing Roy Halladay, the New York media just can’t seem to stop talking about what seems to me an entirely ridiculous prospect.  Bringing him to the Bronx.

Some of the recent headlines include “Halladay’s availability presents Yankees with a Challenge,” “Why Not Roy Halladay and the Yankees?” and “Tied For First Yankees Dream About Halladay.”

This last headline, from the Post, is accompanied by an article that goes onto talk about all the current Yankees who are pining for just such a trade.  The piece reads, “One Yankee fantasized about how good Toronto ace Roy Halladay would look in pinstripes.”

One only wonders why this Yankee would be unwilling to go on the record with such a statement.

This same article goes onto to talk about all the nameless Yanks who have expressed interest in acquiring Halladay, saying, “Others asked what the chances were of baseball’s best right-hander landing in The Bronx.”

If you’re wondering why the Post would run a whole piece on all the Yankees who were interested in bringing Halladay to their team and not be able to cite the name of even one of them, the answer may be revealed in the question posed by one of the Bombers on the subject: “What will it take?”

If recent rumors are correct, we have an answer to that question: It would take Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes, Mark Melancon, and Austin Jackson or Jesus Montero.

So, any Yankee who doesn’t want to risk creating tension in the clubhouse would be wise to attach his name to such comments. Plus, well, you could see why the one who was fantasizing about Halladay in pinstripes wouldn’t want to.

Don’t get me wrong. I understand that this is par for the course – a big-name, big-money player goes up for grabs, the Yankees have to be a part of the discussion. We have the payroll, we have the prospects, we have the media to spark life into the discussion and, well, that’s what we do – acquire big-name, big-money players.

Still, I have to confess that sometimes I find it to be a little tiresome. Ultimately, the Yankees don’t really need a guy like Halladay, certainly not enough to sacrifice our top young pitchers and some of our best minor league prospects in exchange. I know we’ve had our fair share of pitching woes lately, given that Wang’s on the DL. Last night’s disappointing start from Aceves only fuels the conversation.

In my mind, the obvious solution is to bring Phil Hughes back into the rotation as a starter.  However, for reasons that are completely confusing, the Yanks refuse to try it.  Apparently, during his brief stint in the bullpen, Hughes has been robbed of the stamina necessary to fill a starting role.

It sort of reminds me of that time they told us that people were hitting so many home runs out of the new Yankee Stadium because of irregular wind patterns. You know, it’s got that fresh pile of crapelbon smell to it.

If we need a guy to fill our number five-spot, we’re in the lucky rare position of having someone on hand to do it. With the recent recalling of Melancon, we have an extra arm to fill in that blank in our bullpen.

Regardless of what Yankees fans, the New York media, apparently even players for the Yankees, have to say about our pressing need for a guy like Halladay, I don’t see it happening. If for no other reason, if you’re J.P. Ricciardi, already struggling to compete against the teams in an impossibly good division, do you really want to deal your best pitcher to the Yankees, or the Chowdas for that matter, just so he can come back and haunt you down the road?  No, I’m thinking that if you’re Ricciardi, and you can get a deal that’s worth your while, you go out of the division, preferably out of the league with this one.  (At the moment, the Phils are looking to be the frontrunners.)

Like I said, we’re the Yanks. If somebody somewhere hear someone whisper something about the availability of a guy like Halladay, it’s going to come up. At the moment, however, I’d say that it’s media more than reality driving this train.  And for the anonymous Yankee dreaming away in the clubhouse about how good Halladay is going to look in pinstripes, your fantasy is likely to remain just that: a fantasy.