Cardinals Nearing Huge Trade

I've got a source near the Cardinals organization telling me "something big is happening."  Apparently, all company employees have received a memo threatening termination if any information is disclosed.  Luckily, I'm not employed by the Cardinals, so I'm free to gossip. 

I dropped a line to Lboros over at Viva El Birdos, a blogger who has a finger on the pulse of the team.  Lboros had an intriguing list of trade rumors and possible signings that have presented themselves within the past few weeks:

Acquisition of Bobby Abreu.  It is known that Abreu is on the trading block, although the asking price is sky high.  It would be hard to imagine a deal getting done without Major League-ready pitching prospect Anthony Reyes included in the deal.

Trade for Ken Griffey Jr.  Lboros speculates that Jason Marquis could be shipped to Cincinnati for Junior.  Given Griffey's terrible defense in recent years, a move to a corner would make a ton of sense.  The Reds are desperately trying to acquire young pitching, although Marquis will become a free agent after 2006.

Jim Edmonds traded to Yankees for Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang.  Sure, it's a staggering idea at first.  Considering defense, Edmonds is still unquestionably the best center fielder in baseball even at age 35.  He's under contract for $12MM in 2006, and the Cards do have a need for a second baseman and a cheap young starter.  Before you call me a crazy, evil Rumor Monger (that's a half-truth), remember that St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz originated the rumor.

A.J Burnett signing.  This one is considered the most plausible by the Cardinal faithful, and Walt Jocketty's wooing of Burnett is well-known.  Burnett's agent stated yesterday that a deal could be "one phone call away."  Jocketty doesn't seem like the type to go to five years, $65MM for a starter, but he has to be considering it.     

   

Comments

[Insider]

Ok, I thought it was a HUGE trade.... so that means it is not the signing of Burnett.

[RumorMonger]

Take the word "trade" in the headline to mean "acquisition." I didn't think "Huge Trade or Signing" packed the same punch. My source did not use the word "trade."

[Insider]

Gotcha

[Sisyphus]

Two of my sources in St. Louis are confirming a trade for Abreu which includes a third team which is unknown at this point...We'll see.

[Troy]

My grandma went to school with Red Schoendienst.

[Jon]

If the Cardinals want Abreu, and I heard they will go after him if Giles signs elsewhere, they would be willing to part with Marquis and Reyes.

[Jay]

I highly dought the Reds would give up Griffey just before the sale of the team goes through. From the rumors that I am hearing is that nothing will happen until the team owners approve the sale of the team.

[John]

Edmonds is the "unquestionable" best centerfielder in baseball??? Get real! I think there is someone in Atlanta and Minnesota and now even in Cleveland in Mr. Sizemore who are better and other guys who can play with Edmonds defensively like Tavares, V.Wells, and Beltran to some extent. No way is Edmonds just the lone ranger among good centerfielders, and many would agree, he isn't the "best." He is good, but he is not the best.

[Rack Attack]

Abreu in Sept is miserable. Do the Cards want another cold bat come playoff time?

[RumorMonger]

I suppose you can question it, but according to WARP he was a full win better than any other CF in 2005.

http://www.rotoauthority.com/2005/11/best_of_2005_ce.html

Torii Hunter might've ranked 7th or so given 600 ABs.

Jones and Sizemore are excellent, but they're not Edmonds.

[Rack Attack]

Abreu in Sept is miserable. Do the Cards want another cold bat come playoff time?

[Sanjay H.]

I have either Abreu or Griffey going to St. Louis. Does anybody else have their finger on the pulse, or a major blip on their radar?

[Unknown]

Edmonds is the best...don't trade unless you get somebody proven to take over either 2nd or one of the OF positions.

[Kulish]

I smell BS. If the Yankees were to trade Cano AND Wang they could do a hell of a lot better than Jim Edmonds.

[MOSTLBIRDS]

I HEARD THAT THE CARDIBIRDNALS WILL PURSUE CHRIS WIDGER AND THEN TRADE HIM WITH ANTHONY REYES AND SO TAGUCHI FOR DONTRELLE WILLIS, RAPHY FURCAL, BARRY ZITO, RANDY JOHNSON, ADAM DUNN, MATT MORRIS AND WILL ACTIVATE JASON SIMONTACCHI AS THE ANCHOR OF A SIX MAN ROTATION.

SPORTSLOUNGERULEZ.

A lot better than Edmonds? One of the top OF's in the game today for a young 2nd baseman with some offensive potential and not so great defense, and a decently young starting pitcher who was solid but not spectacular? I think it will be overpaying on the Cards part, not the Yankees. Teams arn't beating down the door to get the 'amazing' Cano and Wang.

[Andrew]

The Abreu deal would be huge for the Cardinals, but what would they be losing? Two of their five starting pitchers of 2006. Morris isn't likely to return, so that leaves only Carp and Mulder. A decent base, but who else does Jocketty have? He'd have to make some serious trades. He could blow the bank on Burnett but I don't see how he can fit Burnett and Abreu into the same budget.

This would seem to be a desperation move - "We must win in 2006"

[Andrew]

Of course, I forgot about Suppan. Not hard to do, actually.

[Tyler]

actually bill dewitt said he'd increase payroll in the right cases and these seem to be the right cases

if all this happens you have
1b- Pujols
2b-cano
ss-eckstien
3b rolen
c- molina
lf griffey
rf abreu
cf taguchi/jrod/luna

rotation
carp
aj
mulder
suppan
wang

looks like a 100+ win team to me

[Tyler#2]

That would be nice if we could get Abreu and Burnett + sign a free agent starter etc. Paul Byrd and give Wainright a shot at the #5 spot in the Rotation or Byrd
possible lineup
1. David Eckstein
2. Bobby Abreu
3. Albert Pujols
4. Jim Edmonds
5. Scott Rolen
6. LF
7. 2B
8. Yadier Molina
9. Chris Carpenter

and a Rotation like this
1. Chris Carpenter
2. Mark Mulder
3. A. J. Burnett
4. Jeff Suppan
5. Paul Byrd (or wainright)

i would think that should get us over the hump and get us a World Series Crown.

[LegalAcidity]

Yeah, a 100+ win team until Griffey pulls a hammy in spring training and misses 80 games and Abreu checks out at the plate in September. Seems to me the same thing would happen to the Cards with that lineup that happened this year: Carpenter & Pujols carrying them to the NLCS before flaming out.

[SeasonTicketHolder]

I'm a season ticket holder, third row from the field, and if they trade Edmonds, I'm dropping my tickets and voting to burn down the new stadium.

[1st time poster from Tn]

i want walt to start making some moves this week hopefully either the A. J. Burnett signing or the Bobby Abreu trade. I cannot take it much longer i want to see a big splash soon. I hope Walt makes a careful and good decision this offseason and hope we get Aj and Abreu. then sign a Jacque Jones and move him to left and maybe sign a free agent #5 Pitcher. then sign a few bp pitchers like Rudy Seanez, Ricardo Rincon, and Dotel that should tune up the bullpen and Hope the Cards the best in 06 in the new Stadium go Cards!!! from the best Cardinals fan in Tn!!!

[RumorMonger]

If the Cards had an Edmonds trade that improved the team somehow, you'd have to consider keeping those season tix. But I don't think Cano and Wang is that trade.

jim edmonds means more to the cardinals then just what hes does in the field and at the plate. he is a great clubhouse leader and simply the best cf out there

[Bill]

"Abreu in Sept is miserable."

September 1999 .258
September 2000 .295
September 2001 .294
September 2002 .366
September 2003 .308
September 2004 .347
September 2005 .243

Keeping in mind that he was playing hurt the last two months of 2005, I'll take that kind of miserable anytime...

[gary]

What I would try and do if I were Walt is this.
1. sign A.J.
2. trade Reyes and any prospect for Abreu.
3. trade Marquis for Grump Jr.
4. this is where I take a different route. Try a trade for Ichiro for Edmonds. Then take a chance on B. Boone at 2nd.
So this would be the line up for 06.
1.Eckstein ss
2.Ichiro cf
3.Pujols 1b
4.Abreu rf
5.Rollen 3b
6.Grump Jr. lf
7.B. Boone 2b
8.Molina c
9.Carpenter

rotation:
Carpenter
Mulder
Burnett
Suppan
Wainright

[Bill]

"2. trade Reyes and any prospect for Abreu"

Reyes and a prospect won't get it done.

[cardinals numbr 1 fan]

if the cards get burnett and abreu and possibly griff jr we would win the world series no problem unless we have alot of injures

[jokeyidoc]

Jim Edmonds is over-rated. He slows down and times his plays so that he could dive and make a catch for sportscenter. He left Pujols to carry the weight of the whole team this year. He should not have won any Gold Gloves in the National League, maybe in the A.L. he deserved them. If the yankees are stupid enough to trade good young talent for a washed-up center fielder that only cares about ESPN, the Cardinals should do it.

[shane travelstead]

i think the cards could trade jason marquie and jeff suppan with a prospect for manny at lf and sign jeff weaver and then trade for robinson cano by tradin wainwrite with a player tobenamed.and use j-rod as rf and hope he has a season like he did the first few games.and sign paul bird.
lineup:
1 ekstein ss
2 cano 2
3 pujols 1
4 ramirez lf
5 edmonds cf
6 rolen 3
7 j-rod rf(gall)
8 molina c
9(pitcher)

staff:
1 carpenter
2 mulder
3 weaver
4 reyes
5 bird

[Gabriel Thomas]

The truth of the matter is that you are not going to make any blockbuster trades you lost out on A.J Burnett, Giles, and there is no way you are going to get abreu or that stupid trade like Edmonds for Cano and Wang that would be a horrible trade you dont trade your best young talent for a 35 yr old, and oh yeah Jim Edmonds makes some good catches i admit but the reason for that is because he is slow, Hunter and Jones are already under that ball. Peroid.

[Jon]

I say the Cards trade Marquis and Suppan for Zito. Cards could go out and sign Preston Wilson to a cheap 1 year deal. I really like the Robinson Cano idea. I say the cards could trade Wainright, Johnson, or Reyes for Cano.

[Joe D.]

how about the seattle mariners raul ibunez to the phil.for bobby abrue send joel pinriro to the yanks for carl povno and send gail mech for jason marquis