At some point, probably soon, Roy Halladay will be traded. The Blue Jays can't afford to re-sign the former Cy Young winner, and the clock is ticking.

"We know full well that his contract is concluded at the end of 2010," team president and CEO Paul Beeston says.

For most of this decade, Halladay has been Toronto's best starter -- and best closer. He has 47 complete games since 2000, 11 more than anyone else in baseball. For some team, Halladay could be the difference between a first-round playoff exit and a World Series championship. Among free-agent starters, only John Lackey is comparable.

Halladay first landed on the trading block in July, when then-Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi held a very public auction for his ace. Opposing G.M.s wouldn't meet Ricciardi's high asking price, and the Jays missed their chance to move Halladay while his value was at its absolute peak. If he had been traded then, Halladay might have affected two pennant races for his new team instead of just one.

Now, the responsibility of trading Halladay falls to Alex Anthopoulos, promoted to G.M. when Ricciardi was fired in early October.

Don't expect candid updates from Anthopoulos -- "My policy is that I won't comment on any rumors or trade speculation and so on" -- but do expect a deal to get done.

"He's young, he's aggressive, he's smart," Beeston says of Anthopoulos. "He has the ability to make decisions and doesn't mind the tension of an argument."

Good thing, because he'll have to negotiate with every contender with a bare ring finger this offseason.

Ryan Fagan is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at rfagan@sportingnews.com.