The trouble with the Roy Halladay talks right now is that all the interested teams appear to on the periphery. While there have been discussions, nothing seems hot.

The teams that appear to have at least one eye on Halladay include the Red Sox, Rangers, Angels, Dodgers, Yankees and Rays. However, there's no evidence any of these contenders are making progress toward a deal as the 4 p.m. ET non-waiver trade deadline nears.

Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi has been saying for days that a trade seems very unlikely, and he suggested to Tom Verducci on Wednesday that he could easily see Halladay staying in Toronto through 2010.

Many baseball executives still say they would be surprised if deal did not go down, especially since the Jays have gone so far with the public shopping of Halladay, who now seems ready to leave ... but where?

The Red Sox appear to be targeting offensive help first and are talking about acquiring either Adrian Gonzalez and Victor Martinez. The Rangers have exchanged names and appear to remain interested, but there's considerable question as to whether the cash-challenged team can add Halladay's salary, which is $14.25 million this year and $15.75 million next.

The Angels, who have never been afraid to trade prospects, don't want to part with slick-fielding shortstop Erick Aybar, who was requested in a package that also included one of two young pitchers, either Joe Saunders or Jeff Weaver, and infielder Brandon Wood plus another top prospect, either Trevor Reckling or Peter Bourjos.

The Dodgers, who are said to still be targeting pitching help after acquiring reliever George Sherrill, balked at a Jays' request for at least five prospects. Beyond that, the Dodgers aren't a team that likes to add salary midseason.

The Yankees do not seem to be actively involved at the moment, and while they have the money to make a deal, they have shown no confidence that they will the past few days. The Rays have been a long shot from the start for financial reasons.

Complicating matters further, the Jays would rather not trade Halladay within their division, which lessens the hope of three of these six teams. One Jays-connected person said "J.P. would be crucified" if Halladay went to the hated Yankees or Red Sox.

At the moment, it doesn't look like Halladay is is going anywhere.