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JL21 wrote:If they didn't have the prospects to get Jake [expletive] Westbrook, they aren't going to have enough to make another deal. Unless the Dbacks will give us Kelly Johnson for the ghost of Bo Hart and Brendan Ryan's mustache trimmer.

This. If it took Ludwick in a three team deal to get Westbrook it'll take the farm to get Kelly Johnson or Stephen Drew. Middle infield help is not coming.

/I'd love to be wrong.

I never thought I'd see the day when the Cards would do a salary dump. Yes, I know Westbrook isn't cheap, either - but he's gone after this season, too, unless we re-sign him (and why would we do that?).

Didn't Mo say they didn't want to trade for a rent-a-player?

This business is keeping Albert is going to cost us more than just money - it's going to cost us a decent ballclub. This is just the first step towards a team with two superstars, a couple of mid-level guys, and four AAAA guys in the starting lineup, because that's the only way you can have a team with both Albert and Holliday in the lineup and still keep payroll under $100MM, which is clearly their goal with this trade.

More to the point - as Bernie correctly pointed out the other day, while we can always use pitching, it's our offense which has been sputtering, and losing Ludwick just gave our offense a huge kick in the unmentionables, Jay or no Jay.

G. Keenan wrote:

JL21 wrote:If they didn't have the prospects to get Jake [expletive] Westbrook, they aren't going to have enough to make another deal. Unless the Dbacks will give us Kelly Johnson for the ghost of Bo Hart and Brendan Ryan's mustache trimmer.

This. If it took Ludwick in a three team deal to get Westbrook it'll take the farm to get Kelly Johnson or Stephen Drew. Middle infield help is not coming.

/I'd love to be wrong.

I saw a Joe Sheehan article just saying Drew for Jay and Ottavino. I wish the Diamondbacks were that dumb. But I doubt it..Then again, the Haren trade gives me some hope..

We can't trade Ottavino while he's on the DL, unless he's a PTBNL.

So the Cards got money for Westbrook, and (I assume) didn't sent any money with Ludwick. So they came out ahead from a financial standpoint? All along they've said there is payroll flexibility.

That doesn't make much sense unless there's another move coming.

Magneto2.0 wrote:

G. Keenan wrote:

JL21 wrote:If they didn't have the prospects to get Jake [expletive] Westbrook, they aren't going to have enough to make another deal. Unless the Dbacks will give us Kelly Johnson for the ghost of Bo Hart and Brendan Ryan's mustache trimmer.

This. If it took Ludwick in a three team deal to get Westbrook it'll take the farm to get Kelly Johnson or Stephen Drew. Middle infield help is not coming.

/I'd love to be wrong.

I saw a Joe Sheehan article just saying Drew for Jay and Ottavino. I wish the Diamondbacks were that dumb. But I doubt it..Then again, the Haren trade gives me some hope..

Jay is your starting right fielder...... be careful.

InvincibleCakeEater wrote:

Kasko wrote:This sounds like the TO to the Rams rumor. I'll believe it when it's confirmed by the team.

http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=stl

Holy [expletive]. Well, at least the Rams didn't sign TO.

Joe Shlabotnik wrote:

cardsfansince82 wrote:Does this even qualify as a lateral move?

Sure it does. It improves our rotation and move Jay over to right will be lateral at worst unless he all the sudden decides to [expletive] the bed. But he doesn't seem to be phased by much so I'd be surprised to see Jay fall any farther than back to what Luddy has been this year. Get Lohse and Freese back, move Lopez to second and we're even better.

Better than lateral for sure.

From today forward I will damn near guarantee that Jay won't match what Ludwick has been. What Jay is doing is completely unsustainable on every level.

So instead of taking on an additional $4 million for Westbrook, they are instead investing that $4 million in Austin Wilson. So really it's like Ludwick for Westbrook for Wilson. Right? Right?! RIGHT!? Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

Kyle wrote:So instead of taking on an additional $4 million for Westbrook, they are instead investing that $4 million in Austin Wilson. So really it's like Ludwick for Westbrook for Wilson. Right? Right?! RIGHT!? Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

If that's really what they'd do with the money, it becomes infinitely more palatable.