My Ramblings on the Redbirds and other MLB News
The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired pitcher Jake Westbrook from Cleveland and also sent outfielder Ryan Ludwick to the San Diego Padres.The three-team trade involving a pair of division leaders was announced Saturday.
The NL Central-leading Cardinals got Westbrook and cash. They also got minor league pitcher Nick Greenwood from San Diego.
The NL West-leading Padres acquired Ludwick. The Indians got Double-A right-hander Corey Kluber from San Diego.
MacDougal was signed to a minor league contract by the Cards earlier this month after opting out of his deal with the Nationals. The 33-year-old right-hander compiled a 3.86 ERA over eight relief appearances with the Redbirds. He had a 3.60 ERA, 20 saves and a 31/31 K/BB ratio over 50 innings as the primary closer for the Nats last season. Don’t look for him to steal Ryan Franklin’s job.
Source: Rotoworld
The Musial profile is written by Joe Posnanski, and according to a release by Sports Illustrated, “praises Musial for his quiet brilliance and boundless good will—a model of grace for the game that is seen and appreciated less and less often.”
Posnanski writes in the article, “A few years back, when Major League Baseball held a fan vote to name its All-Century Team, a special committee had to add Musial because the fans did not vote him as one of the 10 best outfielders ever. Ten! Only (Hank) Aaron had more total bases. Only Tris Speaker and Pete Rose hit more doubles. Using Bill James’s famous formula, only Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds created more runs. Still, Musial did not get America’s vote. He is not forgotten, not exactly. It is more this: For most of the nation, Stan the Man is a name that has faded into the great American past like singers wearing Tuxedos, John Wayne movies and kids shooting marbles.”
Musial will turn 90 in November.
The Musial issue of Sports Illustrated hits the newstands tomorrow.
by Roger Hensley
Jon Jay was the Cardinals second round pick (74th overall) of the June 2006 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Miami.
2. The new team will be prospect-rich and surrender multiple high-end players.
3. The new team will not be in the National League Central.
4. The new team will be within a reasonable distance of Oswalt’s Mississippi home, theoretically ensuring his personal contentment.
Earlier today Jayson Stark of ESPN reported that Roy Oswalt would okay a trade to any team under one condition, to pick up his $16million option for the 2012 season. Well the Phillies didn’t like the idea of picking up his $16Mil option. Both sides are shut down for now. Guess who has entered into the picture, the Cardinals. At 10:30pm Craig Calcaterra with NBC Sports has reported that the Cardinals are now the front runners for Roy Oswalt. This is what Calcaterra wrote:
A major league source tells me that, contrary to what we’ve all been hearing for the past several days, the Phillies are not the front runners for Roy Oswalt. The St. Louis Cardinals are.
In fact, the Astros have been talking with Cardinals GM John Mozeliak for several days now, and Oswalt is quite amenable to go to St. Louis if the teams can agree on what players will head back to Houston. For their part, the Cardinals are convinced that matching Roy Oswalt up with Dave Duncan would take a guy who is already an ace and turn him back into the Cy Young candidate he was a few years ago. I’ll stop believing stuff like that when Dave Duncan actually fails for once. Which I wouldn’t bet on, frankly.
Of course, the big issue everyone has been talking about today has been Oswalt’s desire that his 2012 option be picked up. That’s $16 million, and that ain’t hay. My source tells me, however, that Oswalt would be willing to work with the Cardinals to make the option more palatable, possibly in terms of deferring some money. The sides aren’t quite that far yet.
As for that option: my and everyone else’s sense on this as the news spread about it today was that wanting the option exercised would effectively scuttle any deal. If Oswalt is willing to be flexible on it, however, it wouldn’t be daunting. And let’s not forget: Oswalt bargained hard for a no-trade clause, and one of the things he gave up to get the security that he’d stay in Houston was a guaranteed pay check in 2012. If he’s going to lose in-season home he’s come to love in Houston, it’s not unreasonable to expect that someone is going to have to pay for it.
So that’s the state of play: the Cardinals are hot for Oswalt, and Oswalt likes the idea. Now let’s sit back and see if these kids can work something out.
Here’s my take:
If the Cardinals can land Oswalt what a strong rotation we will have for the rest of the season. Carpenter-Wainwright-Garcia-Oswalt-Hawksworth/Lohse. Love to have Oswalt here with us. I know Bill DeWitt had said before if there is an opportunity to make this team stronger there would be money av available to get that player. So lets get it done.
