Most teams fortunate enough to have cheap, productive players don’t have a whole lot of interest in trading them. The Cardinals, however, may consider offers for Colby Rasmus this winter. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that his 24-year-old center fielder asked for a trade, and GM John Mozeliak must now decide whether to make one.
Rasmus denies that he asked for a trade, but has undeniably drawn the ire of La Russa and Albert Pujols. La Russa is a free agent after the season, so the Cardinals could simply hire another manager this winter to avoid clubhouse tension. But Pujols isn’t going anywhere and he says the Cards should trade Rasmus if he doesn’t want to play in St. Louis. Of course Pujols isn’t the one making this decision. Mozeliak would likely have serious reservations about dealing a cornerstone player, regardless of Pujols’ feelings and Rasmus’ reported demand.
After all, Rasmus doesn’t hit free agency until after the 2014 season. He has an .849 OPS this year and plays a premium defensive position for the MLB minimum salary. It is extremely difficult to replace that kind of asset, which is precisely why other teams would have interest in Rasmus if the Cardinals decide to trade their center fielder. Here’s a list of potential suitors for Rasmus, but do keep in mind that Cardinals executives have given no public indication that they are seriously considering a trade:
- The Braves have a pair of disappointing center fielders (Melky Cabrera and Nate McLouth) and a thing for Georgia natives, so they would presumably have interest in Rasmus.
- The Padres have Tony Gwynn, Ryan Ludwick, Kyle Blanks and others under team control in 2011, so they’d have to get creative.
- The Brewers would likely have trouble prying Rasmus away from the Cards, since they play in the same division, but an outfield of Ryan Braun, Rasmus and Corey Hart wouldn’t look bad.
- The A’s traded away a promising center fielder (Carlos Gonzalez) two offseasons ago; maybe they’d seize the chance to acquire an equally promising young player.
- The Red Sox have a pair of options under contract for 2011, but injuries to Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury diminished the team’s center field depth.
- The Nationals, who are now dealing with their own center fielder’s issues, would likely have interest in Rasmus if the Cards make him available.
- The Royals don't have a long-term option in center field.
- The Blue Jays would presumably inquire, as they did when Yunel Escobar fell out of favor in Atlanta.
Other teams would likely have interest, too, since players like Rasmus aren’t often available via trade. Again, the Cardinals will likely make every effort to keep Rasmus in St. Louis before putting him on the market. But if they do decide to trade him this winter, a variety of rival teams should show interest.
Believe me, the Braves would take him in a heartbeat. Make it happen, Frank!
every team in mlb will make a trade offer for rasmus in the offseason. can you honestly think of any team that wouldn’t be interested? i sure can’t. its gonna take 2 bluechip prospects+probably another prospect to get him. unless they want someone on the MLB roster because they choose not to rebuild.
I think Atlanta has a HUGE leg up to get him if he hits the market. They will want him and Colby i’m sure would love to play at home, not to mention the Braves have his brother Cory Rasmus in the system as well. I assume we will have to delve into our pitching prospect surplus but there is no player or players I wouldn’t give to get Rasmus, The left-handed power bats in ATL lineup would be set for years with Freeman set to take 1B in 2011. I can dream can’t I? Braves are going to be making some things happen this off-season somehow I know it.
If he does become available, every team in MLB is going to have at least passing interest. There will be quite the bidding war if the Cardinals are forced to trade him.
Rasmus for Kemp?
No. kemp makes a lot of money, rasmus is dirt cheap. gotta be a blue chip prospect+kemp
No…Colby Rasmus isn’t exactly the greatest thing sinced sliced bread. No blue chipper.
really? i gurantee atleast 10 teams will offer a blue chipper for a guy that has 4 years of service time before free agency, OPSing around .850, playing a premium position, and has speed. actually, most teams will offer more than that because they would know its gonna take more than just 1 bluechip prospect.
you also don’t make a whole lot of sense. it wasn’t very long ago that rasmus was rated the #3 best prospect in all of baseball and is actually producing at a high level in the majors, and now he isn’t worth more than a matt kemp who is having issues with his organization and having a pretty lousy season to boot? seems like you have something against him at this point.
Honestly I think you overvalue Rasmus. In every post you make about him you are making it seem like he is the best player in baseball. Is he very valuable? Yes. Is his contract one of the more tradeable one’s in baseball? Yes. The problem is is that any team wouldn’t be smart to give up more than 1 bluechip prospect. They could give up 1 bluechip prospect and other good prospects. It’s just that giving up more than one possible cornerstone of your future for 1 potential cornerstone doesn’t make much sense to me. Like when the Braves traded for Teixeira, IMO they way overpaid at the time they made the trade and even now. Teams learn from other teams mistakes. Like if the Cards asked from the Red Sox Casey Kelley and Ryan Westmoreland for Rasmus, I’d hang up before he even finished his sentence.
Hell yeah the Cardinals have problems so let’s beat this dead horse some more!! The 2 posts about it, fine, the poll about it, great…..now we have to continue this? He isn’t going to be traded, can’t we just move on and start posting articles instead of guessing?
umad?
Just not a fan of guess work, and it’s not like it even goes into why each team would be a fit and who they could potentially give up. Seems like a post just to have a post. Larussa said that he believes things have been smoothed over and Rasmus said that he just wants to play baseball and worry about winning. Sounds like people are trying to run with a story that is a non-issue now.
Just because there are denials doesn’t make it a non-story or shoo it out of the atmosphere. It’s out there now, and denials don’t quash speculation or immediately kill the idea of a trade that people have been thinking about for the past day.
And what else would you expect them to say under the circumstances? There’s still 20% of a season to play. My guess is you’ll see these rumblings start again as soon as the season ends or the Cards are mathematically eliminated.
Also, web traffic is generated by fresh content. You constantly refresh your site so people come back several times throughout the day, and posts like this generate commentary as well, building community by starting a discussion. It may be filler to you, but nothing appeals to everyone. But by the end of the day this post will have dozens if not 100+ comments. This is the marketplace of ideas. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to read it and you don’t have to participate. Move on already.
So exactly what I said, a post just to have a post. Keep in mind this happened in JULY. I’m not saying there haven’t been problems between TLR and Rasmus, every Cardinal fan knows they have. But it’s not like there are even rumors right now. Theres a fairly good chance TLR will be gone after this season, if he is back then maybe they look into the possibility of trading Rasmus. If they do, they do, but right now I’d say theres < 10% chance of that happening.
And yet, here you are. Thanks for playing. (And yes, your criticism is part of the marketplace of ideas and is — or should be, anyway — valuable feedback to the site’s admins.)
This is the way the Web and new media work. Bandwidth is not at a premium the way newsprint is, or as broadcast time is. If people weren’t interested, they’d move on. Clearly this will interest some people. You? Not so much. That’s okay too.
Not everything can be breaking scoops all day long. Think of posts like this as a discussion at the bar. Isn’t that an acceptable use of this site? This is a holiday and there aren’t going to be as many people on the site as usual, screwing off at work (I work at a news site, and those are our visitors — sharp spike in traffic at 9 a.m., steady to 5 p.m., dropping off after that). But regardless there will be people participating, speculating, thinking, discussing, throwing out trade ideas and shooting others down. Baseball without “would you trade X for Y” discussions would be a lot less interesting. What’s so wrong with those?
Ok then make it a discussion. Give something to go on. Not name 7 teams and say these teams could be interested and there would probably be more. Throw some names out for trade ideas or something. If all you want to do is name teams that are interested, it would probably be easier to name the few teams that wouldn’t be interested. There aren’t too many teams that look to be set long term in CF, those would be the only teams that wouldn’t be interested. Throw up a discussion about whether TLR will be back, it would be alot more relevant than this discussion.
You’re not wrong. I thought there weren’t a whole lot of reasons behind the teams named on that list.
But it worked, i’ve been here much longer than intended. haha have a good holiday, I’m out of here. I’ll check back later to see how many times the Cardinals get Ellsbury offered to them today.
I sure hope they don’t trade him. The Cardinals are so dumb that he just sits on the bench anyway, and this way I’ll get to see a fistfight between Rasmus and Pujols at some point next summer.
Comment removed.
It is. But I never though the Braves would ever trade Yunel Escobar. I think it’s pretty safe to say LaRussa will be back, so the Cards GM may be looking to get rid of him in the offseason. A manager-player relationship is important.
I wouldn’t say it’s safe to say TLR will be back at all. He has lost this team, it is obvious watching them on a day to day basis. They play like he manages, boring and show no emotion. I have been a huge supporter of TLR for years, but I think his time here is done. Alot of people didn’t think he would come back 2 years ago. In fact I would say theres a MUCh better chance that Rasmus is here opening day 2011 than Larussa.
I dont think its “safe to say” LaRussa will be back. Both he and Dave Duncan are in the last year of their deals. I wouldnt be suprised to see a complete overhaul of the Cardinals staff. The survivors might be Dave Mackay, Marty Mason and Jose Oquendo but beyond that who knows.
I would say it is safe to say LaRussa will be back. The owner is convinced baseball can’t go on in St. Louis if LaRussa isn’t managing the team. This isn’t the first time he’s run a player out of town; it won’t be the last either. It’s what he does. The dirty little secret is that LaRussa can’t manage a player he doesn’t like. Never has; never will. The player always gets the blame too. LaRussa is coated in teflon. It’s safe to say Rasmus will indeed be traded. Which is bad news because the GM has been awful with trades-and when you HAVE to move a player, the teams that want him know this. I suppose they could put Rasmus in the minors until LaRussa leaves, but that would cause a whole new set of problems/hard feelings. I’m sorry if I offend the Cardinal fans; but from the outside looking in, you all have got problems that look like they aren’t going to be solved anytime soon.
Let’s put it this way- when Alex Gonzalez came to the Braves- he got a standing O just for not being Yunel Escobar.
I suspect Melky will be tossed aside this off-season to boot. Good riddance.
Let’s put it this way- when Alex Gonzalez came to the Braves- he got a standing O just for not being Yunel Escobar.
I suspect Melky will be tossed aside this off-season to boot. Good riddance.
You’re just mad because it involves a player on your team that you like. This website has been dedicated to “guess work” for as long as it’s been around. It’s called mlbtradeRUMORS, not mlbtradeFACTS.
Rasmus asked for a trade, and apparently did so last year as well. He got called out on it publicly and backpedaled so fast the Rams should sign him as a DB. If you aren’t willing to entertain that possibility, then nothing else that ever gets posted here should be worth you reading either.
Nothing warms my heart more than seeing Cardinals fans self-destruct.
and that’s why the article is here, I’m not self destructing. if this was most other teams there wouldn’t be an article up about this. But Chicago loves to see a small sample of their own happening in the Lou
+1,000,000
Seeing the “best fans in baseball” suffer a bit is a guilty pleasure of mine.
How about Rasmus and a pitcher or a minor league SS to Pittsburgh for McCutcheon. He is going to stall in Pittsburgh and it would serve Rasmus right.
Yes, because the Pirate’s sole purpose is to be a purgatory to see whether or not players truly deserve to be in the majors or not.
Pittsburgh fans will be at Huntington’s office with pitchforks if he even hints that he’s thinking of trading McCutchen. He is the only thing worth watching in a Pirates uniform. Damn, is he fun too! No. A deal won’t be with Pittsburgh.
You must have McCutchen confused with all the expensive mediocrity the Pirates have gotten rid of the past couple years. The Pirates have a long-term plan and a guy who could be the next Eric Davis is a huge part of it.
I’m still trying to tell if you’re kidding or not.
Please tell me you are talking about Daniel McCutchen
McCutcheon and not Daniel is the best prospect to come along here since Bonds. However is is just an average outfielder and the constant losing has already taken it out of him. He is beginning to look disinterested and looks like he wants out . Maybe a new kick butt manager could at least make the Buccos look respectable (like maybe 25 games under .500) and could light a fire under him. They need him to really excel to make a difference. Although subpar at second Neil Walker has been a breath of fresh air along with Tabata and despite all the K’s Alvarez look to be a big RBI guy in the future.
How about the Rays? They’ll have an OF opening next year (yes, Jennings should take Crawford’s place, but RF continues to be a revolving door) and the young talent (especially pitching) to match up in trade.
the rays were my first choice. jennings+matt moore seems like a fair trade off.
That would be a horrible attrocious trade off. That would also not make any sense at all. You are making Rasmus seem like Babe Ruth. Matt Moore isn’t going anywhere at all. Sheesh.
Ferrariman is asking a ton for a guy he apparently doesn’t want on the team anymore. If St. Louis fans are so convinced he’s a clubhouse cancer they need to adjust his value down accordingly, as well as not overpricing him to begin with. You’d think they were dealing Albert himself.
why don’t i want him on the team anymore? id rather have him on the team 100 times out of a 100 over tony la russa. We don’t have to trade him, which makes his value that much higher.
TLR is the one who needs to go… He has been running good players out of town since his first year here (Ozzie) and has continued since
DING! DING! DING! You, sir, have the correct answer! That is exactly what happens when you are perceived as having to move someone. The vultures circle around the carcass.
name me 3 centerfielders in the that are OPSing .850, play premium defense, have speed, have power, and are atleast 4 years from free agency.
i’l be waiting here.
I didn’t realize a -3.9 UZR is premium. And the fact that he is striking out 32.7%of the time and batting .267 with an extremely lucky .342 BABIP means nothing. Mike Cameron with worse defense.
their you go again with the -3.9 UZR. look at last years. could it be possible that the same metrics that put him as one of the best centerfielders last year, and one of the most averagest centerfielders this year are both 2 halves of the same person? he is probably an above average defensive player but not a 10.2 UZR and definitely not a -3.9.
I already said we need a 3rd year to figure out if one was a fluke but you still label him a premium defender when all you have is one year to back yourself up. We have no clue. Either year could be a fluke. Heck he could be better than 10.2 or worse than -3.9. But don’t label him a premium defender when the jury isn’t out.
And you still never addressed the other statistics I brought up.
ok, i will. he is still slugging .500. he is getting the job done with his power so i can stand the strikeout rates. if you watched some games, you can see that he is a young hitter who is a bit pull happy. thats something people grow out of and learn to develop better contact rates, but even if he doesn’t, il still take the .850OPS out of my centerfielder any day(mike cameron has never had a single season where he OPSed over .837–and that came in a flukish season at age 33, not age 24).
good enough bro? a better comp would probably be Grady Sizemore, lots of power, good speed, too many strikeouts, but still gets the job done with defense and with the bat.
Since when does CR play such great D? He k’s way to much. Even a down kemp is bette than him, The Rays would be better off seeing what Jennings can do & keep their blue chip pitching.
he plays above average D. and a down kemp is definitely not better than him, kemp is having a down year batting around .250 with a .310 OBP and BAD BAD defense with lots of K’s in his own right. that isnt’ better than CR by any strech of the imagination
jennings alone is worth more then rasmus… I don’t get it. . No one is going to overpay for a guy who a team wants to unload and a player who wants to be traded.
Neither of those prospects will be dealt. Consider a trade consisting of 1-2 of Rodriquez, Zobrist, Brignac, and/or Bartlett, plus one of Neiman, Wade Davis, or Shields. Maybe the Rays could pull back an arm for their bullpen.
you’re on drugs. just shut up.
call me crazy, but i can see the nationals jumping on this guy and getting him for whoever the Cardinals want who isnt untouchable, then flipping Nyjer Morgan to a team like Oakland or the Indians.
The Nats’ system isn’t exactly overflowing with top talent.
Derek Norris and Roger Bernadina for Rasmus? The Nats can afford to lose a catcher. They have Ramos.
explain why the cardinals would want a catcher.
Because Yadi won’t be there forever.
ok..well he will be their until 2013. so what are we gonna do with Derek norris for those 3 years? let him just chill in the minors when we could have gotten someone else that had a more direct impact? makes perfect sense….
Ramos is overrated. Miguel Olivo 2.0
Ramos is just holding the seat until Norris gets to the bigs.
Olivo is solid, so nothing wrong with that.
Ramos might be the best defensive catcher in the Nationals organization.
The A’s already have a copy of Nyjer Morgan, minus the Tony Plush antics. His name is Rajai Davis.
Ellsbury for Rasmus.
Ellsbury and which A prospect and B prospect do you want to give up? Do people think before they post?
You realize Rasmus isn’t Musial, right? He’ll be 24 next year and has a career .774 OPS. Your manager won’t play him and he’s been labeled by your team and it’s fans as a clubhouse cancer. But yet you still want the moon for him. Curious.
I am not a Cards fan, so you can drop the “you.”
Prospects are prospects, they are not production, and Ellsbury is neither at this point. He may well be considered a negative influence as well in his own clubhouse, but that doesn’t make the two of them equal, not by a long shot. So, therefore, what else should be thrown in?
How is Ellsbury a negative in his clubhouse? Got anything to back that up?
Lmao!
Ellsbury’s 2009 season dwarfed Colby’s. This year he would likely have improved again except that he got run over by a truck and busted five ribs. He is still an excellent, highly skilled OF and will prove that in 2011. GM’s know that – why don’t you?
So Ellsbury’s OPS in his *best* season was .770 … which is below Colby Rasmus’ *career* OPS of .774. And (rightly or wrongly) Ellsbury has a rep for being fragile. AND Ellsbury is three years older.
Try harder. You can do better than that.
OPS is a terrible stat for non power hitters. Not saying he was right but you can’t use a stat like OPS. Especially since Carl Crawford’s career OPS is .778. I don’t think you put Rasmus at Crawford’s level.
I do think Crawford is a tad overrated, but yes, Rasmus is not quite at Crawford’s level. Thanks for the tip on OPS (seriously).
Nevermind the fact that CC’s career ops is weighed down by his 1st 2 season of .661 & .667. He wasn’t ready. After that his ops was over .800 5 of his next healthy seasons. So it is possible for a non power guys to have a ops over .800.
Rasmus has a lot of potential, but not nearly as good as most Cards fans think he is.
OK,
Rasmus is a career .258 hitter who would approach 200 K in a full season if he ever plays one. His minor league numbers (.277 AVG, .852 OPS) suggest that he plateaued during in the first half of 2010. Perhaps LaRussa is sitting him because he wore out in the second half of 2009 (.216 AVG and OPS of .592 after the break), but it hasn’t really helped this year (.234 AVG and OPS of .684 this go around). LaRussa now says that he plans to play him more down the stretch, and I’m beginning to think the reason is because he intends to expose him.
And OPS isn’t everything. Jacoby scores more runs, steals more bases, is a career .291 hitter, walks more and plays better defense.
I’m not saying that they are exactly equal, but they are close enough that Rasmus is not worth Ellsbury plus two top prospects, because that is just silly.
what do GM’s know? that Ellsbury had a WAR of like 2.7 in his best season in 2009 which is equal to what rasmus has right now, 2.7?
or that he has a total of 84 PA’s this season? or that he is a boras client? or that he is 3 years older than rasmus? you say that Ellsbury will improve in 2011, but you didn’t say anything about how much rasmus, who is much younger and been in the league less, won’t. that doesn’t make sense. try again.
You can read my reply above if you want, but I don’t think Colby will improve in 2011. There are no numbers to support that, in fact the first half of 2010 came out of nowhere, easily exceeding his minor league numbers, and now he is fading down the stretch just like he did last year.
He’d improve over this year because he’d be healthy. JE & CR are similar. So a A prospect would not be needed to get a trade done.
Oh & what does Boras have to do with anything? Player can & do change agents all the time.
I wrote about a potential Ellsbury/Rasmus swap. The problem is that all the negatives seem to come down on Ellsbury’s side – age (27 vs 24), years of team control (3 vs 4), cost (although that is up for debate after this year’s poor performance by Ellsbury), and upside. I think it would be a good deal for the Sox, but I’m not sure if the Cards would bite.
ellsbury has had a total of 84 PA’s this season. their is almost no gurantee with him, so yeah, its gonna take more than just him alone.
And there’s a guarantee with Rasmus? He’s been injured in both of his first two years, that sounds like he could possibly be an injury prone player to me. At least Ellsbury is much more proven than Rasmus (I know he has played more seasons). But Ells in his first two seasons was much better than Rasmus has been in his first two seasons.
we don’t need glassbury. might as well keep rasmus if thats the best were gonna get.
Glassbury. That’s possibly the best joke I’ve ever heard. I hope you pick up the sarcasm. With the injuries that Rasmus has had as well why don’t you call him Glassmus. In case you didn’t know Hermida also broke his ribs from running into Beltre. Chances are even the most durable players in the game would have broken ribs when taking a knee to the ribs while both players are running at full speed. When two players collide running at full speed it has the equivalent impact of about a 30mph to possibly 50mph car crash or even more.
Can you provide the calculations on that 30-50 MPH? Just curious.
When Trent Green in the NFL got knocked out for the season with a concussion it was from getting nailed by a guy running at him and sports science said it was equivalent to a 60 mph car crash. I don’t have a formula but I took back a few notches on the collision since Trent Green was hit by a big linebacker.
It would be insane for the Cards to trade Rasmus, but if they do I hope the Braves get him. There’s plenty of good talent in the ATL system that would be worth giving up for a guy like him.
The Red Sox would be a really nice spot for him. Huge upside and I wouldn’t mind him in CF for years to come.
Pick any 3 Braves prospects not named Teheran.
Freeman, Vizcaino, Delgado. You have to be a bit more specific. Those ore 3 of the top 10 Braves prospects.
I left Freeman out, because the Cards have some guy playing 1b…but I would do Viz and Delgado + for Colby.
Doesn’t matter, they could then in turn flip him and someone else for a closer after Frankiln retires(which I believe he said he will after his contact is up? Correct me if I’m wrong?)
If Frank Wren gives BOTH Vizcaino and Delgado for Rasmus then I’ll hunt him down and set fire to his toupee and chevy tahoe. How about Delgado (the better of the two) and Mycal Jones?
i just said that…funny.
Theres no chance Atlanta would trade 3 Top 50 prospects for a guy like Rasmus
minor delgado vizcaino 🙂
you are absolutely in denial man. get off of rasmus’s weiner.
Read the question he was answering before replying.
again, put down the pipe.
Delgado + B. DeVall
Why wouldn’t Rasmus want out of St. Louis? LaRussa has some irrational bias against him, Pujols is being holier than thou towards him. Rasmus would be a jewel to almost any other franchise but in St. Louis he’s treated like a first year non-prospect who’s only on the team because there isn’t anyone else better. Someone explain why LaRussa sits him so often, please. We all know Tony is smarter than the rest of us 6-billion plus people on the earth, but why doesn’t he play his best center fielder in center field more often? I’m not talking injuries either, I’m talking platoon. Gotta be tough to see guys like Heyward getting treated fairly and producing when Rasmus produces as well and has to put up with this kind of behavior from a couple of massive egos.
Not sure why the Brewers are on this list. Braun/Hart are both locked in for a few more years, and the Brewers already have *too man* centerfielders to find playing time for (Carlos Gomez, Lorenzo Cain, Chris Dickerson). Obviously, Rasmus would be an upgrade for just about any team, but I don’t see the Brewers going out of their way to get him. Not to mention a Cardinals/Brewers trade isn’t going to happen.
Adam Jones for Colby Rasmus!
was this a sick joke? adam jones+brian roberts+money maybe.
Lol, I guess that’s two sick jokes. Properly evaluate players worth much?
No. Adam Jones in some ways is better or equal to Rasmus. I like that trade straight up.
No.
Adam Jones:
2009 – .277 /.335/.457
2010 – .276/.317/.441
Colby Rasmus
2009 – .251/.307/.407
2010 – .267/.351/.499
If you prefer “advanced” stats
Adam Jones
2009 – 1.8 WAR/.343 wOBA
2010 – 1.2 WAR/.327 wOBA
Colby Rasmus
2009 – 2.3 WAR/.311 wOBA
2010 – 2.7 WAR/.361 wOBA
Once again you’re over valuing CR. He is not Joe freakin Dimaggio! Adam Jones is the same age & has had a similar or better career so far.
i’m not that high on Adam Jones and his weak OBP. he has good speed/power like rasmus and good defense though.
Would Schafer, Jurjens/Minor, Devall/Bethancourt/Spruill for Rasmus work?
Why in the world would you trade Jurrjens for him whos a #2 SP at worst and locked up for several more years? If Atlanta could get it done for something like Vizcaino or Delgado, Bethancourt, Perez, and there choice of Diaz/Melky/Hernandez/Conrad to fill one of there roster spots then id say go for it but we arent any better of a team if we trade Jurrjens, Hanson, or Minor
Jurrjens is likely going to be the extra wheel when the superpitching prospects come up in 2012. Braves can get by with a rotation of Hanson/Hudson/Lowe/Minor/Beachy, and get Medlen to come back in September. If really necessary they can 1-yr rental a SP or maybe rush Teheran.
I’d offer Beachy before Jurrjens, but if it took Jurrjens, so be it.
Let’s put it this way: the braves can afford to lose a SP and not panic. The Braves don’t have 2 major-league quality OFs, let alone 3.
JJ or MM in that deal would be a huge overpayment.
Ryan Braun for Rasmus, Shelby Miller, and another pitching prospect?
i could do this. but i don’t know how well braun can play right field. (jon jay shifts over to center).
Of course you would it’s a HUGE overpay for Rasmus.
The Brewers aren’t going to trade Braun for Rasmus + others unless there’s more quality and quantity.
How would the Cards be able to afford Braun, Pujols, Holliday, Carpenter and Wainwright?
Holliday is already in their budget, Braun isn’t paid too much until ’12/’13 and beyond, the team has club options on both Carp and Waino past ’11 and can you really see them not resigning Pujols?
That is like 100 million in 5 players. When has St. Louis ever had a payroll like that.
since he’s generating so much interest, the Jays probably won’t get him. Even with him falling out of favour, looks like too many teams will go after him, driving his price too high. Good timing for the story though. Could drive down the price of Werth and Crawford seeing that there’s a cheaper option out there.
I never thought about that but you very well could be right.
Here’s an idea, and I say this as a %100 lifelong Cardinals fan:
Trade Albert Pujols. Exercise the option, cash out. Lets face it, the amount of money he’s going to demand is not going to work out. You don’t win when you’re loading your payroll with 5 good players and 20 mediocre ones, just ask the Mets how that’s been working out. So we’re all set to have Pujols make 25 million and keep on picking up guys off the scrap heap like Randy Winn? Okay! Wait! I’d like to give Wainright the raise he deserves, give Carpenter to another team for a couple of prospects and ship Pujols to whatever team is willing to work out the best 3 or 4-way trade to empty the farm system next year in order to win NOW. Oh and this is all with the upfront idea that LaRussa will not be around next year. I’d like to get Joe Girardi from the Yankees (assuming they don’t re-sign him when they get bounced in the first round of the playoffs this year) or some other manager that’s good at maybe keeping the same damn lineup when it’s a productive lineup. CLEARLY the way LaRussa does it has a minimal effect on success compared to just throwing your best 8 guys out there, so why are we pissing off young cheap players at the expense of (ugh) expensive veterans who are going to hold the entire franchise ransom in 12 months?
So yeah. I haven’t liked Pujols attitude this year at all, I’m pretty sure he’s going to demand 1/4 of the entire payroll of the team (otherwise he’d have tried to work out a deal already so the Cards could have added more than pure shit at the trade deadline) and it makes zero sense to trade away a young guy who has the potential to be the best CF in the league in a couple of years when he gets consistent playing time.
Will never happen. You could never get decent value for Pujols (who has the prospects and money to acquire him other than the Yankees and Red Sox? There would be no way to leverage a quality package of players).
Atlanta has the prospects. The money? Nope.
Hanson + Freeman + Teheran + Betancourt for Pujols?
lol
now I need to put down the pipe.
Make that Lowe+Delgado+Freeman+Kawakami+McLouth+Dunn for Pujols+Rasmus it might work.
There’s not a team in the game that wouldn’t be interested in Colby Rasmus. A young player under club control for four more years, with speed, power, an OBP of .350, OPS of .850 and plays solid defense at a premium position, with the numbers to play a corer OF spot….. what’s not to like?
Pick any prospect in the Tiger organization on the farm. Bar none. That’ll save us from spending $ 15 million a year on Crawford or Werth.
gonna take more than just 1 bro lol.
If Cards are smart they will dump him while he still has value cause this guy could turn into the next Milton Bradley. Good hitter, too many defensive mental errors, unwilling to take responsibility + clubhouse cancer. Who does that remind you of? A’s have a couple of young corner outfielders one of whom they may give up for a Rasmus. Taylor or Carter – lots of potential either way.
He isn’t a clubhouse cancer, he just wants to play and should be playing…
what are you ranting about? he had a 10.2UZR last season, so much for those mental errors, and has been pretty good this season. he isn’t a clubhouse cancer at all, he just want his fair share of playing time and not lose it to 2nd strings like Nick Stavinoha and Randy Winn for no apparent reasons.
UZR has his defense at -3.9 this year. We need another year to figure out which year is the statistical fluke.
You know, you don’t have to look at them as separate seasons and it probably doesn’t make sense to look at them separately given that defensive stats can fluctuate wildly. Over his career in CF Rasmus has been slightly above average according to John Dewan’s +/- and UZR. Granted, that doesn’t provide tons of ammunition for Ferrariman’s assertions that Rasmus is a deity, nor your assertions that he’s not that great. Right now he’s a pretty good player – with all the Ks and the increased walk rate he kind of reminds me of Mike Cameron, but with a hell of a lot of upside.
I realize that but if he is going to Rasmus is a premium defender based on his 1st season I can say he isn’t based on this season. I have been saying that the jury isn’t out on his defense and we need another year. But Mike Cameron is who I compare Rasmus to also.
Is Rasmus the clubhouse cancer or is Tony? Apparently Rasmus just want’s to play, which his productivity would dictate that he should play. Tony, on the other hand, doesn’t see it that way. Albert is piling on. When did it become a crime to want to play? If you realized that your manager wasn’t playing you for no apparent reason other than the voices in his head telling him not to play you wouldn’t you want out too?
As an A’s fan, you can have either one of those guys +Wuertz/Ziegler+Mazzaro, deal?
the above post should have been a reply to another post, sorry.
Ellsburry and any two prospects not named Casey Kelly, Jose Iglesias, Anthony Rizzo
what?
Ellsbury’s value is equal (if not higher) than Rasmus.
Can you say J.D. Drew???
Lots of talent to go along with lots of injuries and sniffles
Monumental fail for the Cards organization.
I never had much respect for Tony “Steroids?” LaRussa — on account of him being a never-was when he played and his pathetic attempts to deny knowledge of PED use — but it’s all pretty much gone now.
If you clowns in St. Louis want some grinding veteran, how about Curtis Granderson, some money, and pitching prospect that isn’t Banuelos/Brackman/Betances for Rasmus?
you want to say steroids larussa, with your past present and future roster in pin stripes?
oh and keep spitting on cliff lee’s wife, that sure will get him on board with the yankess.
the yankees are buy far the worst fans in baseball
you want to say steroids larussa, with your past present and future roster in pin stripes?
oh and keep spitting on cliff lee’s wife, that sure will get him on board with the yankess.
the yankees are buy far the worst fans in baseball
Rasmus is being terribly overvalued on this thread. He is a good player but he strikes out too much and likely won’t develop a good batting average. To me he projects as a Mike Cameron type player with worse defense. He has value but he is hardly a superstar in the making unless he magically turns that .258 career avg (.305 career BABIP so not that lucky) into a .280 or higher.
So.. a 24 year old can’t get better?
You do realize how many pretty damn good teams Mike Cameron was a part of right?
Look at the Cardinal roster. It’s Pujols, Holliday, Wainwright, Carp. Nobody else is any kind of legit impact player outside of Rasmus (respect to Y. Molina, but his offense is what it is). And he’s 24 years old, plays a great center field, and has power to spare.
I’m not saying he can’t get better but he still being overvalued. And it is a serious question with him as to whether he will develop batting average with how much he K’s. And UZR doesn’t like his defense this year with only 2 years to go by we need a third to figure out which was the fluke. I don’t see teams lining up to offer Kemp or their other blue chippers + other A or B prospects for the guy.
Dont forget the Mexicutioner Jaime Garcia…. he has been a great player this year as well….
The fact that the Brewers are on your list of teams is ridiculous.
I really don’t understand why Colby Rasmus is being so overvalued. He is basically Nate McLouth before this atrocious season. Rasmus has tools and can be a solid outfielder, but what kind of leverage does St. Louis have when they try to deal Rasmus? If the reports are true and he really said he wants to leave St. Louis can you really ask for blue-chip prospects? Pujols and LaRussa should stop talking, they are losing leverage with each statement about Rasmus. Or at least it would seem!
“Basically Nate McLouth”? McLouth has always been seen as a grinder, getting the most out of his limited toolbox. Rasmus has tools out the wazoo. In his greatest dreams, Nate McLouth isn’t even within shouting distance of Colby Rasmus in that regard. And that is the difference between the two of them. Tools play.
Tools mean little if there is a chance they won’t develop. I didn’t think this was that bad of a comparison. In 2009 Atlanta gave up Gorky Henandez, Jeff Locke, and Charlie Morton for McLouth coming off a .287/.356/.497 year with 26 Hrs and 23 steals with a K% of 15.6. In fairness, McLouth was 28 but I McLouth was coming off a better season and yet I don’t see an Adam Jones or Kemp type player there? And I don’t even know if any of those 3 guys was a blue chipper.
And I like this quote:
“McLouth is one of the top center fielders in the game,” Braves catcher Brian McCann said. “He can do it all. He’s a five-tool player.”
Shows how highly regarded McLouth was.
B-mac was smoking something. Even at hi best Nate was never a 5-tool guy. His D is average at best & has a noodle arm. He does not hit for average either.
Like you said tools mean nothing if you can’t develop or take advantage of them.
And what was wrong with Nate McLouth?
If he would have been promoted earlier, and been in a different organization, the guy would have gotten a lot more pub than he did.
He fell of the map — it happens to a lot of guys. But Nate McLouth was a real solid player there for a decent number of seasons and he helped his team win baseball games.
And after all that, Rasmus is still better at a younger age than McLouth was.
What I don’t understand is why people think the St. Louis Cardinals, with their strict mid-major budget, massive overpay of Holliday, upcoming massive contract to The Machine, and generally underwhelming home-grown position prospects can just treat Rasmus like he’s some scrub who can be sat for Randy Winn?
He’s 24, has a hole in his swing, and doesn’t have a terrific arm.. AND HE’S STILL THE THIRD BEST POSITION PLAYER AND HITTER ST. LOUIS HAS ON THE 25 MAN ROSTER.
The Cardinals have a reputation for being a well run, smart organization. I look at them and scratch my head and think WTH? LaRussa really would rather play the Randy Winn’s and Nick Stavinoha’s of the world. To think there’s not something personal going on here is absurd. From a baseball sense it makes no sense to do anything but see what you really have with Rasmus by putting him in the line up and leaving him there. For an extended period, say like the Reds did with Jay Bruce. It took him almost 2 1/2 years, but he’s finally starting to look like the player they thought he could be.Maybe if they spent as much time and energy helping Rasmus get acclimated, instead of trying to run him out of town, he’d already be on his way to developing into what they hoped he would be. But hey, LaRussa’s the genius, so what do I know?
Spot on. It has to be personal and coming from a low-character guy like LaRussa, it’s a struggle for me to think Colby is the one who is wrong here.
Rangers!!!!! Julio Bourbon and kasey kiker for Rausmus
Borbon has little to no value.
How about Jordan Schafer and Randall Delgado for Rasmus? When Schafer grows up and starts acting like a man he will be awesome. Plus a bonus would be that Colby’s brother Cory is a little lower in the system I believe
Short of a devastating injury, I can’t think of a prospect whose star has fallen farther, faster than Jordan Schafer’s. Out of six seasons in the minor leagues, he’s had exactly one that could be called very good and one that could be called good. I would have no interest in him as a prospect at this point.
He did have a devastating injury. Plus those 6 seasons are very chopped up. Since the Braves are very desperate in the OF besides RF, I see them giving Jordan a couple more chances. Hopefully he can at least turn into a back up or platoon player. His D alone is worth it.
“Hopefully he can at least turn into a back up or platoon player.”
That’s not my definition of a prospect.
we get it you braves fans think you can steal one away cause he grew up in braves country. it does not matter ho mad he may want to play in atlanta. he is under control for years to come, and can not say which team he goes to
I think that LaRussa’s time in STL may just about be up. The whole Glenn Beck rally thing has left a bad taste in a lot of mouths, especially with regard to LaRussa’s line about it not being a political thing (which, from a fairly smart guy, sounded really stupid.) I don’t believe that Pujols would bolt if TLR weren’t in STL anymore, and this isn’t TLR’s first conflict with one of his players (Scott Rolen, anyone?) Therefore, I think LaRussa will be the one to go, and Rasmus will stay… so this whole discussion about where Rasmus may go may be moot.
I agree a lot of the STL fans are think Rasmus is better then he really is. Hes a very good young player but not worth some of the things ive heard said. Do you all really think Atlanta would trade 3 Top 50 prospects for him? or a SP like Jurrjens
Id offer Vizcaino or Delgado, Christian Bethancourt, Carlos Perez, and your choice of a guy like DIaz, Melky, Diory, or Conrad and thats a very good offer. Top 10-20 prospects like Teheran or Freeman wouldnt and shouldnt be involved b/c it doesnt really matter what Rasmus was rated he hasnt been the star he was billed as
The Seattle Mariners could send outfielder Michael Saunders, starter Luke French and thirdbaseman Alex Liddi to St. Louis for Colby Rasmus.
Saunders, who is only a few months younger than the 24-year-old Rasmus but who remains under his team’s control for five more seasons, has been a disappointing after entering this season as Baseball America’s 30th-ranked prospect. French, a lefty who turns 25 this month, is 4-4 with a 3.64 ERA in 11 appearances, including eight starts, for the Mariners after going 11-3 with a 2.94 in 17 starts for Triple A Tacoma. The 22-year-old Liddi has played in the last two Futures Games, but his righhand power bat may not be well-suited for Safeco Field.
That may be too much for the Mariners to give up for Colby Rasmus, so perhaps the Cardinals could throw in 22-year-old corner infielder Matthew Adams (a 23rd-round pick in the 2009 draft).
Luke French? I think you just lowered the value of that trade. And Michael Saunders has proven nothing so far. I’m glad he was BA’s 30th ranked prospect. Colby was #3.
I wish your response would have offered some insight.
But for what it’s worth, in 2006 Brandon Wood was Baseball America’s third-ranked prospect while Hanley Ramirez was its 30th-ranked prospect:
baseballamerica.com/today/features/060223top100c.h…
For what it’s worth, in 2006 Brandon Wood was Baseball America’s third-ranked prospect while Hanley Ramirez was its 30th-ranked prospect.
Ellsburry and any two prospects not named Casey Kelly, Jose Iglesias, Anthony Rizzo. Who do you want?
I will take ATLEAST all four of those guys for a future superstar like Colby Rasmus. I mean he’s the best thing since sliced bread. /sarcasm.
lol, he is over rated. Everyone wants a guy who is batting .263 with 16 homers. Who cares if he is 24. Anthony Rizzo is 21 and is batting .258 with 19 homers
How about a free haircut for Tony La Russa in exchange for Rasmus? Just saying…
In the minor leagues what positions are the Cardinals weakest at? For Cardinals fans, what would you like Mo to target in return for Rasmus?
middle infield and starting pitching.
If he is traded my bet is Atlanta. He is from Columbus Ga and is a life long Braves fan! Not to mention his brother is a pitcher in the Bravos minor league system and has showed great progress along with Beachy Tehran Delgado Vizcaino and about 5 other prospects.. I also think St.Louis likes dealing with Atlanta considering they got Wainright for Drew awhile back…
see comment to other braves fan, what you said has nothing to do with getting the inside track. he can not force his way to a team
Padres seriously need to get Rasmus and it would be perfect fit to be the center fielder of the future
Rasmus for Mark Reynolds/Ian Kennedy.
Swap Reynolds for Melky Cabrera and you’ve got a deal.
*tear
I miss the days where that package was offered
for everybody and anybody.
John Danks+Sergio Santos+Jordan Danks+Brent Morel
John Danks+Sergio Santos+Jordan Danks+Brent Morel+Kyle Bellamy for Colby Rasmus and Eduardo Sanchez. Is that too little cause the white sox farm system is very mediocre and we have traded away guys like Ryan Sweeney, Gio Gonzalez, Brandon Allen, Aaron Poreda, and many other players
Ellsburry and any two prospects not named Kelly, Rizzo, Iglesias. Cardinal Fans name who you want. Major Leaguers can be in deal also (Jed Lowrie)
I’d love to see the Orioles pick up Rasmus. I’d trade Arrietta and/or Bergeson for him in a heartbeat (though I’m not sure that would be enough). If I were the Nationals, I’d try to pry him away too (I’m not too familar with their farm team, but I’d trade their best minor league starter and either Desmond/Espinoza for him. Heck, I’d trade the catcher they picked up from Minnie too). But my guess…. Billy Beane sneaks in and makes a trade to pick up Rasmus.
adam jones, start there
why not the Royals, he will get the playing time he wants, The royals can give them David Dejesus for now so they can still compete and Dejesus is Better than Rasmus right now. and they can give Derrick Robinson and one of there talented left handed hurlers
David DeJesus for Colby Rasmus. Wow. How could the Cardinals possibly say no? Do any of you even THINK about the other team’s perspective? Ugh.
Would Jose Bautista + C prospect do it?
I cant see STL having any interest in a career bench player thats having a career year in a hitters park
Many scouts feel that his career year is not a fluke and STL does have a hole at 3rd…
um…..link b/c i call BS and they’ll have Freese back next year
you want me to give a link for every interview with a scout about JBau’s year? even with Freese coming back they still have room for him in the outfield
Bautista has more value to the Jays than he would command in a trade.
would ottavino + F prospect get drabek
Jordan Schafer, Bethancourt, Randall Delgado, and Nate McClouth for Colby Rasmus get it done Frank Wren
Cards would not want a CF unless they are a power hitter, more likely a power hitting RF who can play good defense. They also would be interested in a pitching prospect with high upside close to being major league ready and a high upside SS.
How about Randall Delgado, Chris Bethancourt, Jordan Schafer, and Brandon Hicks? Shouldn’t hurt the Braves too bad since they had a pretty nice draft to say the least. Also, don’t give me that Yadier stuff, his offense is pretty atrocious and you know it.
any offense at the catcher position is a plus.
yeah lets trade away by far the best defensive catcher for a bat, who cant throw or catch?????
What would the Cubs have to give up?
They would ask for Starlin Castro. The Cards have to be looking for a SS
The Royals will give them Yuni if they ask nicely.
Red Sox…..
Marco Scutaro and Ryan Kalish for Cory Rasmus…. Scutaro plugs a hole in the Card’s infield and Kalish, potentially, can be as good as Rasmus, perhaps better, all around…
Rasmus in right, Ellsbury in center…Matt Kemp in left…. fast, strong arms and good hitters, all… Oh, and McDonald and Nava backing up…
How did the Red Sox get Kemp?
as part of a sign and trade deal involving Papelbon, Beltre and Broxton
LA needs a 3B who can hit/field. Sox need an OF who has power and both teams agree that their closers can use a change of scenery.
(Look, I can dream, can”t I?)
In my scenario.. BTW, Lowrie moves to 3B and the Sox bring up the rookie, Cuban SS, Jose Inglaises,who should have made the Sox roster out of ST, 2010…. he is that good…
Marco Scutaro and Ryan Kalish definetely get you CORY Rasmus. Colby? LOL.
Marcum, Stewart, Jimenez for Rasmus.
Lol I would never give up Castro for Rasmus
walt says “good luck” trading for colby.
one—the number of farmhands traded since brett wallace 13 months ago.
I still think that Colby Rasmus would be taken by every team in this league. There is too much upside for him.
My money is on the Braves or he stays with St. Louis. The Braves are obviously the best fit, and would give up some prospects that Mozeliack couldn’t pass on with his current problems on starting pitching and the middle infield, and outfield and still have one of the best farms
What I think most of these offers miss is that with Carp, Waino, Pujols and Holliday, St. Louis has a 3-5 year window to contend and needs help RIGHT NOW, not in the form of a bunch of guys who are not going to debut, let alone make an impact, until 2-3 years down the road. I know I’ve been down on Ellsbury in this thread, but what about him, Lowrie and a low-level prospect, assuming Ellsbury is healthy and Lowrie proves he can go every day in the last month of the season and in winter ball? (Big if, I know.) A lot depends on how Pedroia returns, but supposedly he should be ready by spring training and the Red Sox could be set in the middle infield with him, Scutaro, Iglesias, Navarro and Tejeda down the road.
i hear ya, except we have plenty of kids in A ball that are high upside pitchers. even with carp possibly leaving after next year. miller will be ready in 2-3 year. martinez has sick stuff(ya i know boston he lied to you about his age) he is 2-4 years away tops. waino is not going anywhere, nor is pujols or holliday, they will keep rasmus unless there is a top flight arm or bat offered. cox will be up in 2 years playing 2nd base(likely, could stay at 3rd)
the cards are no longet trying to fill minor league rosters, their taking the best player off the board in the draft, and going over slot to sign them. same thing will happen this year. so any top 5-10 talent that slips in the draft will be in stl. we are fine we just need stop gaps, and maybe a young SS with a bat to round out the roster
The trade request was 2 months ago and all reports say that there ISN’T a rift between La Russa and Rasmus. Rasmus will not be traded. END OF STORY!
Rasmus was a top prospect a few years ago, had a SOLID rookie year, and is struggling in the second half of this year. That is true but how many at-bats is he losing because of La Russa? Rasmus is mad because it;s freaking cast offs he is losing at-bats too. So he isn’t really having a chance to get off that slump. Also Pujols just made the situation look worse than it actually is, Rasmus didn’t make the situation public, La Russa did, so can you really make Rasmus the bad guy here, especially since La Russa has a HISTORY of doing this?
He is a 5 tool player with still more upside than he has shown, he is worth two blue chips prospects and a little more. So yeah I think the cardinals can get a good haul for him but I sure hope they don’t trade him and i seriously just hope that La Russa just retires and that Suppan and Lohse leave as well
How about Nick Punto, Glenn Perkins, Brendan Harris, and Randy Flores? There’s your SS (better yet, there’s 2!!), your SP, and a proven LOOGY to boot!! Done deal. Dont even THINK about twisting my arm and asking for Nick Blackburn!!
How about Twins deal Denard Span and one of Baker-Blackburn-Slowey for Rasmus and a mid-level pitching prospect from Cards?
we got rid of flores we dont want him back
Some other teams worth mentioning…
LA for Matt Kemp? LA gets young talent in return for someone who probably needs to be out of LA in the worst way…
NYY for Ganderson? NY gets younger cost effective talent…woah that just seemed wierd typing that… but maybe STL takes a shot on Granderson hitting a couple hrs
TB…I liked what other people said about Crawford leaving and them needing a little OF help
OAK…they have tons of pitching talent and always like getting people on the cheap
ATL…I think that would be the best fit for him w/ great mix of young talent and some veterans
I agree with the writer who stated that St. Louis has a 3-4 year window to win, so I would think that they go for a package of players that would help them win now. I can see Tampa sending 1-2 of their infielders (Rodriquez, Brignac, Bartlett, Zobrist) plus 1 of Garza/Shields/Nieman. I could also see Oakland trading a starter (not Cahill or Anderson) plus one of their infielders (Ellis, Pennington). I’d love to see the Nationals trade for him (Bernidina and Espinoza/Desmond, plus a pitching prospect).
Personally, I think Rasmus is a developing stud. But so far he’s been injury prone and not allowed to develop by Larussa’s strange playing time (why would you not play your best prospect over the likes of Jon Jay?). You can’t expect other teams to overpay in their trade offers.
as far as i have heard bartlett is a FA, since the word is TB is losing crawford, pena and bartlett this off season
I know this sounds ridiculous, but what if the Blue Jays offered to eat 80-90% of Vernon Wells’ contract, and added Zach Stewart and Edwin Encarnacion? The Cards would get a solid CF, and a potential power bat who has experience in the NL, and a top pitching prospect. STL would have VW under control for 3 more years at a reasonable rate, have EE for at least one more season (Arb eligible) and could promote Stewart as soon as next year.
The Jays would get their hands on a Stud CF, with team control, and may save a few million in the process… may be far fetched, but it looks win-win if you believe in Rasmus’ upside…
The Jays would
Vernon Wells is not a solid CF; this is coming from a Jays fan. Edwin Encarnacion is a NEGATIVE in any trade, seriously the guy is truly awful. Why would the Jays eat 90% of 85$ million? They are better off keeping Wells, moving him to left or right and putting Snider in the other spot with Rasmus in CF. Substitute Marcum with Wells and a catching prospect (not named D’Arnaud or Perez) with E5 and we’re good.
we do not need a catcher or minor league depth.
start with drabek and build on it
Jair Jurrgens straight up for Rasmus, with possibly a low level prospect going back to the Braves. To date, Jurrgens has been the more productive major leaguer, but he has one less year of future control. He’ll be more expensive than Rasmus, but not prohibitively so.
If the Braves believe in Minor, and don’t think they can deal Kawakami or Lowe in the offseason, this could work. Jurrgens is a 1st time arb elgible player this offseason, so the Braves would save a few million in 2011. Jurrgens is the type of guy that would fit with the Cards’ window for contention, and the Braves would get much better production in the OF without sacrificing their best prospects.
That deal would hurt for both sides, so it seems like it might be fair. The only problem is that I have no idea who would play CF for the Cards–although TLR can surely find some “gritty” veteran who can put up a Randy Winn like offensive season.
Eh, the Braves might just be creating one hole to patch another. They’d have Hudson, Hanson, Minor (a rookie), and then…???? in their rotation. Lowe’s got a bone chip, wasn’t a great pitcher to begin with, and Kawakami has absolutely zero confidence in himself at this point.
Very true that the Braves HAVE to fix their outfield, but pitching is their strength. They aren’t overly powerful at the plate and their defense needs work. Trading away someone like Jair would be a very risky thing to do.
Lowe had a resurgence this year. Beachy came up this September and pitched well against the Phillies twice. I’d be ok with him as the 5th starter. If SP becomes a hole, Medlen comes back from TJ in September, and Julio Teheran should be ready by 2012. Any hole will be short-lived. They also have some good stopgaps in AAA.
The most I’d offer for Rasmus is JJ, Ed O’Flaherty, and Jordan Schaefer or Willie Cabrera though.
Rasmus would help with the defend, with Heyward having plus range in RF, and Rasmus average CF range at worst, you can get by with a mediocre LF, be it a Hinske/Diaz platoon, or a Pat Burrell-type.
If there is a god and he appreciates irony, Please let the Cards trade Rasmus to the Blue Jays, whom then the Blue Jays would trade him to the Cincinnati Reds… Here’s some salt, take off the bandage, apply….
Alright. Rasmus is going to stay put. So will Tony. It will hurt our team too much if we trade Rasmus similar to how it is hurting us by not playing Rasmus. Essentially we dont have to trade him. Tony never said things were fine with Rolen or Adam Kennedy or Kerry Robinson (not good, just someone he has issues with), so i think whether there is tension to a certain degree or not, he is staying put. If i had to choose? I’d keep Rasmus and Jose Oquendo can do the job. The main reason why I would want to keep TLR is because that means Dave Duncan most likely stays put to. If I’m Mozeliak, I only trade Rasmus if I’m overwhelmed. Also, Pujols needs to keep his mouth shut. A leader of the team can call out the player, but not publicly.
I would have to agree…. Pujols made a comment about Colby being in the wrong making his feelings public through the media… what did Pujols just do there???? I would love to see TLR go away, but I don’t want to lose Duncan…. Not sure if we can manage to keep him if TLR goes….
how about nobody????? the fact of the matter is TLR said rasmus asked for the trade. non cardinal fans would not know this. even IF, the cards trade rasmus, any team better be willing to take carp as well, because they are not going to take prospects that are 1-2 years away for him. if they cut ties with colby their gonna shed cap room, and go after crawford or werth. it only makes sense. JMO, and i wouldnt trade carpenter either.
if you think from the hear say that the cards are dumping him, then lay off the met, heroin, crack or what ever drugs you perfer. 1 thing is for sure is that if they keep rasmus he will be here longer than larussa, espicially if we win another ws larussa is gone after the year. he only comes back for selfish reasons, eventually when we suck the next 2 years and miss the playoffs again and again MO will wise up and make a change.
bottom line is rasmus is going no where, unless a team makes an offer the cardianls cant refuse. that would be something along the lines, you guys keep giving crap to FERRARIMAN about.
the only deal i can see going down is rasmus to toronto for kyle drabek, and aaron hill or adm lind. the cards are not giving him away. if they can land a top flight cost controlled pitcher, then they might/could deal carp for a player of need, and spend the big money on a crawford or werth
the only deal i can see going down is rasmus to toronto for kyle drabek, and aaron hill or adm lind. the cards are not giving him away. if they can land a top flight cost controlled pitcher, then they might/could deal carp for a player of need, and spend the big money on a crawford or werth