Cards Won't Rule Out Ludwick/Ankiel Trade

If I were Cards GM, I would trade those guys in a heartbeat. There is nothing that tells me that these guys will continue to hit like they did this past year. I would much rather have Ankiel than Ludwick. Although, he is injury prone. Ludwick will never have this kind of a season again. Kelly Johnson and Yunel would be an awesome trade and an upgrade for the depleted cardinal infield. If they had Pujols, Kelly Johnson/Escobar, and Glaus, they would be set. Outfielders aren't hard to come by.

Significant Minor league pitcher makes this deal iffy.

If the Braves gave up Escobar, that would be a big mistake. The guy is a solid defensive shortstop and a very good top of the order hitter. He posted a 119 OPS+ in his rookie year, and last year he still posted a .366 OBP. If he can find some of that power that he had in 2007, he would be one of the best shortstops in baseball, even if he was a tier below the cream of the crop guys like Hanley and Reyes.

I just think that a talented young shortstop who is capable of consistently posting a high OBP is too valuable to give up for a power hitting outfielder. You can see the dearth of good young shortstops in baseball today. I just think that unless the Braves are receiving a top player in return, it's not worth it. Ludwick was a AAAA player before his breakout season this year, and Ankiel has some OBP issues.

They're both very good players, but 29 year old power hitting outfielders are simply more common than 25 year old good hitting shortstops.

Thank god Mo is coming to his senses. Those "ludwick for KJ" rumors were making me nauseous.

Scribble- Luddy was the 6th best hitting player in baseball last year. He's not just "some power hitting OF". He's one of the best OF's in the game and he is cost-controlled through his prime. He has to have one of the top trade values out of anyone in baseball right now, better than holliday, better than Roberts, better than peavy, etc. He'd be a 7-8 win upgrade over francouer, and would, by himself, nearly put the braves into contention next year.

"Duncan and Barton are not everyday players...and I would rather trade Ankiel, who is a Boras client, any day rather than trading a guy who put up a .950 OPS last year."

Totally agree. Duncan is a platoon player and Barton is a fourth outfielder. Ankiel is a good player, but they are near equals in the outfield, and Ludwick's offensive performance last year was far more impressive. When you factor in that Ankiel is nearly the same age and has Scott Boras as his agent, there is no doubt that Ludwick is the more valuable asset.

I don't like the thought of trading ludwick, he's proven he can play this level. I would rather trade rasmus or mather there trade vaule is better now, plus we don't know how rasmus will react to being in the pros