Should the Red Sox Trade for Roy Halladay?

The hot stove league is heating up and the latest rumor has the Sox going hard after Roy Halladay. Halladay has been a great pitcher over the years -- especially against the Sox -- but is this the move the Sox should be making?

It will cost a lot for the Sox to get Halladay. Last year they reportedly offered a package that included Daniel Bard and Clay Buchholz, but that wasn't enough.

Now ESPN and the Globe are reporting that the Blue Jays want a package that includes top prospect Casey Kelly and Buchholz. I believe that is still too much.

Halladay is now 32 and hasn't been as dominant in the last couple of years as he was earlier in his career. His contract is up after next season and he will be asking for a big money, long-term deal.

A better option for the Sox may be free agent John Lackey. Lackey has been a consistent winner for the Angels for seven seasons, is a year younger than Halladay and will probably be a little cheaper to sign.

The biggest difference though is the Sox won't have to trade for Lackey meaning they can keep their young stud pitchers and other prospects.

When the front office decided to trade Hanley Ramirez for Beckett and Lowell, they made the conscious decision to go with pitching and sacrifice some offense. They have been looking for a shortstop ever since and still don't have one.

Why not continue to bolster the pitching and bide some time with average shortstops while grooming Kelly to take over the position in a couple of years?

It would make more sense to hang on to Buchholz and Bard, and add another potential ace in Lackey to the rotation. That would give the team three aces along with Lester and Beckett. Then if Dice-K can bounce back with a good year and Wakefield or someone else can fill the No. 5 spot the pitching will be solid.

After that they re-sign Bay and add some bench depth and hope Ortiz and Lowell stay healthy for one more year and are productive. This allows the Sox to compete for a championship in 2010 while protecting the top prospects for the future.