It sure looks alarmingly like Halladay is done, doesn't it? There wasn't a pitcher in the past ten years I enjoyed watching more.

EDIT: I mean done as a dominant pitcher, not 'oh he's probably retiring now' obviously.

Eh, in his first 2 years post-10.64 ERA season he had a worse BB/9, worse K/9, was a lot better in HR/9 and had an ERA+ of 153. I suspect he had a few issues last year but I sure wouldn't bet against him having another 2 or 3 years with 140+ ERA+'s (as 7 of his 8 30+ start seasons have been). Yes, last year was only the 2nd time he's had an ERA+ under 115 but I doubt this year will be the third.

The only concern I would have is that wildness - Halladay just doesn't walk guys that often outside of his first 2 ML seasons (4.8 and 5.6 BB/9 in 99/00, sub 2.7 every other season). Still, in the end if Halladay says he is OK I'd say go with him. He has earned that trust.

If #1 is true, could he be a very effective closer for a few years?

If #1 is true, could he be a very effective closer for a few years?

Phew, that's good to know then he can become the cornerstone on which all championship teams are built.

If #1 is true, could he be a very effective closer for a few years?

This is what I thought a lot of good pitchers should have done at the tail end of their careers(if they wanted to stay pitching) I think Randy Johnson could have stuck around long enough to get 200 saves or so. I mean it might be a different role, and I don't think a front line pitcher would accept anything less than the closers role, but it seems like a natural transition.

If you put Halladay in relief he might boost his fastball up to, what, the 90-91 range? He might be able to work with that and be effective, I don't know. I kind of doubt he would be able to kick ass as a relief pitcher. When he sits at 87 he gets lit up like a movie marquee.

Edit: There's also the question that's always kicking around of what an asskicking relief pitcher is really worth, when used in the traditional closer's role. Just eyeballing bWAR, John Smoltz was a merciless killing machine as a reliever in 2003 and clocked in with 3.2 WAR. That's equivalent to a good Jon Garland season, a good #3 starter kind of year.

So if you get to the point where Roy Halladay just can't get major league hitters out as a starter anymore, sure you might try him as a reliever, see if he can add a few MPH and provide some value for the pile of money you're going to pay him anyway. If you're not sure about it, though, it seems better to keep starting him as long as you can get away with it. And the problem you have with converting him to relief once he can't hack it at all as a starter anymore is, he'll probably be more minded to retire.