Some nice rumor-related digging was done recently over at Viva El Birdos. Lboros tracked down this comment made by Mitchel Lichtman recently:
"Of course, you never know if and when a player like Edmonds will be part of a major trade. In order to stay competitive, we will eventually (soon) need to replace him in CF with either another great player (and presumably pay through the nose) or replace him with someone good (and underrated) and then upgrade at the corners and at second, and of course eventually at SS again (which is another difficult position to find bargains). We have very few, if any, position player prospects ready for the Majors anytime soon (I don’t think)."
Lichtman is a defensive guru who consults for the Cardinals, so his feelings on Edmonds trade rumors carry some weight. You may recall a seemingly wacky Edmonds for Cano and Wang trade rumor surfacing here on November 29th. That one was also brought to my attention via Viva El Birdos, and it originated with St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz.
Lboros covers the implications of Lichtman’s comment thoroughly, acknowledging that the rumor was feasible in November but no longer fits. He finishes with this comment:
"The important point here isn’t whether the Edmonds-Cano-Wang rumor had any substance behind it. The point is that trading Edmonds to restructure the payroll isn’t out of the question — and that’s coming straight from a member of the Cards’ decision-making chorus."
