Trade Deadline Musings

Good News for Reds

The usually sagacious Cardinals flipped quality outfielder Ryan Ludwick for middling starter Jake Westbrook. This sounds like the kind of misstep that can cost a team the division in a tight race. Conversely, the Padres, who receive Ludwick in this three-way with the Indians, doubled their dangerous hitter quotient in the deal.

Ludwick, a .272/.341/.492 hitter with 84 long balls the last four years instantly becomes San Diego's second-best hitter and pushes one of their outfield albatrosses -- like Will Venable (.226/.313/.389) -- onto the bench. 

The Padres' gain appears to be the Redbirds' loss. St. Louis can afford to subtract offense only somewhat more than San Diego, and Ludwick is the best the team has after their dynamic duo of Pujols and Holliday, not withstanding Colby Rasmus's surprising sophomore season. Admittedly, Westbrook could be their best starter option after the spectacular trio of Carpenter/Wainwright/Garcia, but given his weak performance in Cleveland (4.65 ERA and 74K/43BB in 127 innings and just 11 of 21 quality starts), he could simply be another failed Jeff Suppan/Kyle Lohse experiment.

Acquiring a sub-middling 33-year-old starter from a desperate outfit like the Indians at mid-season ought not cost a power-hitting outfielder with a year of arbitration eligibility remaining. The Cardinals might have passed on this deal and scoured the junkyard for a Westbrook-like property that could be had for some Double-A trifling.

Rich Get Richer

Picking up Lance Berkman and back-ups Austin Kearns and Kerry Wood for some loose nuts and bolts from the minor league toolbox was more good Yankee trading. Joe Girardi had been reduced to writing a name in the DH spot that would never be seen in Cooperstown. Oh, the travesty!

Well, it is a travesty, actually, because it's another example of the unique advantages enjoyed in the Bronx. Other teams were equally interested in Berkman, whose value is enhanced for teams not already employing Mark Teixeira by his solid defense at first base. But two things destined the Rice grad for NY: 1. his price tag of $20 million and 2. Berkman's no-trade clause.

In fact, Berkman nixed a deal to the White Sox, which means they offered more than the Yankees did. Presumably they recognized that this is a bigger pickup than many in the media believe. Berkman still knows the difference between a ball and a strike, and was on base at a .372 clip with 13 home runs. Pay no attention to that .245 batting average behind the curtain.

So the Yankees will win the World Series with an all-star at every starting position and average players coming off the bench and we'll credit them with stockpiling the best players. But really, how hard is that when no other team has a chance to compete for them?

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