Toronto star pitcher Roy Halladay will start for the American League in Tuesday's Major League Baseball All-Star Game but says his odds are only 50-50 of staying with the Blue Jays all season.
The veteran right-hander is off to a 10-3 start with a 2.85 earned-run average for Toronto and was chosen by AL manager Joe Maddon of Tampa Bay to make his first start in six All-Star Game appearances.
"It's a highlight moment. I'm very excited," Halladay said. "To come here and be around all these guys is special. It's an honor, something I'm thrilled to do."
But Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi has said he will listen to trade deals for Halladay, who is signed through next season and must agree to any transfer ahead of the trade deadline at the end of the month.
At 44-46, the Blue Jays are fourth in the AL East division, 11 games behind league pace-setter Boston and eight adrift of the New York Yankees for the wild-card spot in October's playoffs.
"It's tough," Halladay said. "If I could have everything it would be to stay in Toronto and know we could put a team out there that had a chance to play in October. There's no saying maybe we can't do that but I know how tough it is.
"You have the Bostons and New Yorks and it's tough to keep up. You have to hit the jackpot sometimes. Everybody has to have a great season."
The American League, which has won 11 and drawn one in the past 12 All-Star matchups against the National League, also features Japanese star Ichiro Suzuki of Seattle as its leadoff batter and Yankees star Derek Jeter, in his 10th All-Star appearance, will bat second.
San Francisco's Tim Lincecum, a Cy Young Award winner last year as top pitcher, will open on the mound for the National League. The 25-year-old right-hander is 10-2 with a 2.33 earned-run average and shares the major league lead with 149 strikeouts.
"This is a great accomplishment for me," Lincecum said.
St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols, who leads the major leagues with 32 homers, will bat third for the NL squad in front of his home fans at Busch Stadium.
