In the spring of 2002, Toronto second baseman Orlando Hudson made a crack about the style of Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi, saying he dressed like a pimp.

He quickly found himself in the minor leagues, so it is with some satisfaction that Hudson eyes Ricciardi's current dilemma — the need to trade Roy Halladay.

Hudson would love for the Toronto ace to wind up with his current team, the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.

"It's not a question of whether we need him," Hudson said. "It's a case of we want Roy Halladay."

A lot of teams want Halladay, one of the few difference-making arms on the market. Gary Sheffield calls him one of the three best pitchers in the majors, and he's a bargain under the terms of his current contract — a little less than $7 million left this season and $15.75 million in 2010.

He has no-trade rights, so he could demand a deal sweetener, but staying with the fourth-place Blue Jays isn't such a great option for him. It will take a lot to get him, of course.

Think of the Brewers' four-for-one trade for CC Sabathia last season: It cost them outfielders Matt LaPorta and Michael Brantley (both viewed as almost big-league ready) and pitchers Zach Jackson and Rob Bryson.

"It would take a lot for us to part with him," Ricciardi said. "If you're coming at us with a 'B' list of young players, don't bother."

With the trading deadline still almost three weeks away, there aren't any clear-cut front-runners for his services. The Phillies and Red Sox were viewed as potentially aggressive pursuers, but those camps downplay their likely involvement. The Phillies are more likely to roll the dice on Pedro Martinez, whose signing is rumored to be close.

The Cubs don't have the flexibility to get involved — and probably not the prospects to keep Ricciardi talking — but at least two teams in their division are in the picture. There's interest in St. Louis and Milwaukee, although it's hard to know how seriously to take either as a pursuer.

Finances often leave them as a tire-kickers — surprisingly, that's more true of the Cardinals than the Brewers — and this could be the same. Milwaukee appears a bad match as Toronto is looking for young pitching, and the Cardinals might not have the pieces to do a deal either.

Keep an eye on the White Sox. They could open some payroll space by dealing one of their right-handed relievers (Scott Linebrink or Octavio Dotel, most likely, but for a big enough price maybe Bobby Jenks) and have a lot of ways to structure a potential offer.

One way would be to build a package around Gavin Floyd, whose value has increased because of the contract extension he signed in March (four years, $15.5 million, with an option for 2013). Were the Jays to demand Gordon Beckham or Alexei Ramirez, that would be a deal killer — and needing a shortstop, Ricciardi might want one of those two — but almost anything else can be on the table.

Ricciardi supposedly would like to package 30-year-old center fielder Vernon Wells in a Halladay deal. That could blow up almost any potential trade, given Wells' exorbitant contract and the way his hitting has slipped. But Wells, 30, could fit with the White Sox if Ricciardi agreed to pay a lot — half maybe? — of the $98.5 million he's owed from 2010-14.

Ride of his life: Never doubt the power of a good education.

A year ago this time, Athletics pitcher Andrew Bailey had just lost his job in the starting rotation for Double-A Midland; now he's headed to St. Louis as an All-Star. The difference is a cut fastball that A's minor-league pitching coordinator Gil Patterson taught him.

Patterson calls the 25-year-old Bailey "a poor man's (Mariano) Rivera," and he should know. He spent three years as a pitching coach in the Yankees system.

"I'm extremely happy for him," Patterson said of Bailey, who has excelled since getting a chance as the Athletics' closer. "What a great story he is."

Oxygen, please: Exhaustion may be behind Adrian Gonzalez's recent slump. But the Padres first baseman won't catch his breath over the All-Star break.

The active leader at 292 consecutive games played entering the weekend, Gonzalez will have played 20 games in 20 days after Sunday, unless manager Bud Black rests him. He's among the eight players who will participate in both the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game, and then the Padres open the second half with games 25 straight days.

Gonzalez says he's fine physically but a bit fried mentally.

"That's just baseball," he said. "I feel great my first one or two at-bats and then I get lost. It's just not going my way right now, although I don't see the point of missing one game."

Gonzalez's 6-for-39 slump has contributed to the Padres' 1-8 start to July, which dropped them below the Diamondbacks into last place.

Baby steps: The minor-league experience has begun in earnest for three unlikely prospects in the Pirates system.

Their Gulf Coast League team includes infielder Gift Ngoepe, bidding to become the first true big-leaguer from Africa, and Indian pitchers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, who were the top two contestants on "The Million Dollar Arm," an Indian reality show exploring whether cricket skills translate to baseball.

All three are handling themselves well. Ngoepe was hitting .333 through seven games, with one stolen base. Patel worked scoreless innings in his first two outings, and Singh allowed only one run in his first two innings.

Cogs in a machine: How great of a team game is baseball?

No one star carries any team, yet some do seem to have more of an impact than others. Consider the plight of the Twins and Red Sox.

The Twins were 11-11 in April, seemingly waiting for Joe Mauer to get back. He returned on May 1 and has been on the short list of the game's most productive players since then, but the team entered the weekend 32-32 since he returned.

The Red Sox, however, have gotten a big lift from the return of the real David Ortiz. They were 32-22 on June 5 with Ortiz batting .188 with only one homer in 191 at-bats. He hit .300 with 10 homers in the next 30 games as Boston went 19-11, needing every bit of that production to keep up with the white-hot Yankees.

The last word: "It's our job to make professional evaluations, and from the player we evaluated to sign to the player we have now, it's two totally different guys. We just don't think he's going to be the pitcher he was when we signed him." — Blue Jays GM Ricciardi, who released B.J. Ryan (owed about $15 million) on Wednesday despite his 1.04 ERA in June, when he was used in mop-up situations.

The Whispers

The hottest hitter in baseball? That would be Jamie McOwen, a 23-year-old outfielder in the Mariners' farm system at Class A High Desert. He entered the weekend with a 45-game hitting streak, the longest in the minor leagues since 1954. The minor-league record is 69, set by Joe Wilhoit with the Wichita Wolves in the Class A Western League in 1919. Joe DiMaggio had a 61-game streak for the 1933 San Francisco Seals. ... That Erik Bedard trade just keeps looking better for the Orioles. Their last two All-Stars (center fielder Adam Jones and lefty George Sherrill) were acquired in that deal in February 2008, and they're not even considered the best players from the trade. Chris Tillman, a 21-year-old right-hander who will pitch in Sunday's Futures Game, has a 2.50 ERA in Triple A. ... Padres GM Kevin Towers admits he made a mistake not re-signing Mike Cameron after 2007. He called him one of the "great leaders" in the clubhouse. ... It happens every summer — MLB asks Ichiro Suzuki to participate in the Home Run Derby, and he declines. ... The Indians are getting calls about Victor Martinez as well as Cliff Lee. They would listen if anyone wanted to get Kerry Wood, who is signed through 2010. ... The Marlins will miss Alfredo Amezaga, who is expected to be out the rest of the season after major knee surgery. He was the top fielder for an otherwise brutal infield. ... B.J. Upton's steal of home Wednesday was the third of the Rays star's career, tying him for the most among active players. The others are Alex Rodriguez, Torii Hunter, Gary Sheffield and Omar Vizquel. Yes, Sheffield. ... At 42, Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield becomes the second-oldest player ever to make an All-Star team for the first time. Satchel Paige was 46 when he made the 1952 game, four years after his major-league debut. ... The Rays' Carlos Pena, who leads the AL with 23 homers, is about to become the first AL home run leader to miss the All-Star Game since Mickey Tettleton in 1993. ... The Twins are crossing their fingers for Kevin Slowey, who received an injection in his injured right wrist. They hope to get him back this month.