Harden, Johnson let go???

[Coldneck]

Scarey, we'll never be on the same page about Hendry so I'm not surprised by your argument. The short answer to your question is yes, but it is much more complicated than that. The Soriano signing is just one of the several major misktakes that JH has made, amongst several other minor ones. But let me examine the Soriano signing in a vacuum since that is what you specificially mentioned. First of all, I think signing ANY player to an 8 year deal is a big mistake. There are too many variables and too many examples of players declining once they reach the 32-35 age range. The decline is especially large for players that rely on speed, which was one of Soriano's major attributes. Soriano also did not have a position that he played adequately. He was a butcher at 2B, and just as bad in LF for the Nationals. He fought tooth and nail when the Astros and then the Nats tried to move him to the OF. Even more absurd is that JH signed Soriano to play CF, which is a premium position, after a full year of Soriano showing he couldn't play LF. So yes, I would advocate trade for Halladay, and signing him to no more than a 4 year extension. Halladay is one of the top 4 best pitchers in the game. There are many more examples of pitchers succeeding late in their 30s than offensive players. To quote Keith Law:
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Halladay's frame, mechanics, pitch efficiency and track record all suggest a pitcher who is freakishly durable. He's also never had a major arm injury. If I was going to bet on any starter to throw 800 innings over the next four years, it would probably be Doc.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Instead of arguing about the Soriano signing, why don't you argue my main point which is that Hendry's poor decisions have cost us the flexibility to go after top notch talent for the next few years. This should never be the case if you operate with such a large payroll.