I would extend this further and say what would our chances be in ‘09 with a starting 4 or Carpenter, Wainwright, Halladay and Lohse. Add one of Garcia or Boggs and I think we are in good shape.

I don’t think we can let the Mulder trade freeze us out of making moves. After all Rasmus is a “Maybe”. We think he will be good, we project he will be good, but will he be better than Ankiel? Heck, we know more about what Brian Barton can do at the major league level than Rasmus. Rasmus may be the next Jim Edmonds but he is just likely to be the next Corey Patterson, a highly touted minor leaguer who can’t quite get it done in the majors. I think we are just fine with an outfield of Skip, Ankiel, Ludwick and Barton.

I would say go for it.

will be better and cheaper than Ankiel.

hadley: “While I remain confident my source is legit, and that Reyes been dealt, until I can confirm the personnel in return, I’ll pass on mentioning the trade partner.”

Could the Reyes for Luis Perdomo be the beginning of Mo’s trades. Does this mean that there’s going to be a huge move? no….. but the cardinals are still pursuing George Sherrill, Brian Fuentes, and Jarrod Washburn.

Don’t really know to much bout washburn bout sounds like the yankees are the most likely to get him. but as of yesterday according to mlbtraderumors.com the cardinals are the most likely team to land fuentes and our interest in Sherrill is well-known especially after sending a couple scouts to their game vs toronto. Which could indicate interest in AJ Burnett.

Take it for whats it’s worth but with interest in both lefties, getting one would be good but both would be wonderful.

Comments or other talks heard?

and Fuentes? What would that take? Can they do Holliday on top of that?

VEB

From MLB Trade Rumors from Peter Gammons:

The Cardinals now appear to be the favorite for Fuentes

My question is “with who?”

I don’t understand who we could possibly be offering that would bring back Fuentes. Maybe because of Tulo’s struggles they are desperate for one of our scrub middle infielders? (that was a joke)

Here’s what the Hall of Famer says of Fuentes:

The Rockies want Anibal Sanchez and a prospect for Brian Fuentes. The Marlins will not give up Sanchez and are likely to pursue Seattle’s Arthur Rhodes instead. The Cardinals, Angels and Rays are also in on Fuentes, and the feeling is that the Cardinals are the favorites. Colorado likes the Cards’ farm system.

Fuentes = Wainwright starting, right?

do we even want fuentes? do we have any plans to resign him? its clear we ain’t getting to the playoffs..

I heard that he was in support of a trade to the Cardinals, but are we as interested as he is?

Washburn has been solid lately and I heard his name mentioned among cardinals. apparently the yankees are getting him for peanuts due to the salary dump. now I know Burnett wants to come to stl, but as a earlier thread pointed out, the problem with our bullpen may just be the exposure and workload created by our starting pitching who is not gettting in quality starts anymore. Washburn has no injury history as of the last few years, plus Washburn can be had for little in terms of prospects. here’s their stats over the past month

washburn – IP-33.1 K-15 ERA-2.97 WHIP-1.23
Burnett – IP-39.2 K-42 ERA-3.86 WHIP-1.29

Washburn just pitched 8 innings with 1 earned.

Heres to Holliday!

can we bring it back down to earth here??? the last two trade proposals suggested had a total of 17 players moving including Toronto’s top two pitchers in the same deal. How about just thinking about what may actually happen. Now I know we may be going after Burnett, and I’d be the first one to give up Rasmus for Halladay, but lets keep it real, even if we didn’t have a stingy front office, no one blows up an organization like that in one trade. EVER

also I’d like to say that those trades by milwaukee and chicago early on are really paying off. We of course will wait until the deadline where we will be around 5.0 back. Which means we will no longer be just keeping up with these guys anymore, we will have to continuously play better ball than at least one. Which is probable but not likely. I’m down for selling on this year. Of course this comes after a sweep and a series loss, but what are you going to expect? I think we need to start looking at veterans who can help all these prospects come along. a.k.a. role players/innings eaters

... i can’t wait until the deadline has passed. i’m sick of this already.

Ken Rosenthal believes the Rockies would trade Fuentes for a “young, mlb-ready starter.”

I assume that means starting pitcher..? I wouldn’t give up Garcia but if they’d be willing to take Boggs I say go for it.

Rockies likely to keep Fuentes

This could just be standard price-up-driving posturing, but I thought it’s worth posting (per ESPN).

Monday, July 28, 2008 | Print Entry

Posted by Andrew Marchand
An executive involved in the Brian Fuentes trade talks says the Rockies are “pulling back” and don’t seem like they intend to trade him now that they are moving into contention in the National League West. The Mets are still among the teams interested in Fuentes.

Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd told SI.com that it’s “highly unlikely” Colorado would trade Fuentes or Matt Holliday.

That a left-handed reliever is the #1 priority right now, trade-wise.

He also mentioned that Wainwright is being considered for the closer role…sigh.

Okay. And the Mets are all over Ohman, apparently. That leaves Rhodes, Sherrill and (maybe) Fuentes. Grabow appears to be injured. Guardado is probably not a fit. We’re duking it out with the Red Sox, the Devil Rays, the Marlins and the Angels.

It’s time to pull the trigger, Mo! Don’t get shut out while posturing and talking about how Flores is fixed, Izzy is our closer and Perez invented sliced bread. Everyone knows our bullpen sucks.

Cards shopping Lohse for prospects (via St. Paul Pioneer Press).

A little birdie says the St. Louis Cardinals are shopping ex-Twins pitcher Kyle Lohse for prospects before Thursday’s trade deadline, mostly because they’re not sure they’ll be in the playoff hunt and because they figure the 29-year-old right-hander won’t be affordable with high-demand agent Scott Boras. Lohse is 12-3 with a 3.68 earned-run average.

It’s an interesting piece about how the Rocks are kind of in the position the Cards were last year, with this interesting tidbit:

So baseball people who have spoken with O’Dowd say he seems to know what deal he reasonably could make with each of the seven teams still chasing Fuentes—the Cardinals, Marlins, Rays, Tigers, Phillies, White Sox and Angels. And if he decides it’s time to move, he seems to believe he could close a deal fast.

Jayson Stark is reporting that the Angels are close to getting Teixeira for Kotchman (and presumably some other pieces).

Now, earlier this morning before leaving to go play a round of golf I heard that the Angels were concerned about losing Kotchman. Now, am I missing something, but isn’t Kotchman, like, not as good at hitting baseball as Teixeira? Isn’t Teixeira, like, really daggone good? And the hold up was apparently Casey Kotchman, he of a lifetime 101 OPS+ with a mediocre power for a first baseman? Don’t the Angels have like a gazillion dollars to spend to resign the guy?

Keith Law is apparently saying this thing is done. That’s probably good for the Angels, as Teixeira seemed a perfect fit for that power-starved team.

I agree they had to pull the trigger and get something, I think Kotchmans gonna like hitting at Turner. He’s more than a hole filler.

sleepyca might know more about Marek from pitching in Rancho Cucamonga. He pitched at Hammons recently and has a good fastball, can get SOs but has control issues.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/07/manny-ramirez-2.html

Not necessarily something I’m hanging my hat on, but why wouldn’t the cards kick the tires on Manny?

The Cards have the money. They probably have the prospects to get it done. A Manny-Ank-Ludwick outfield would be stunning, with Schu and Mather as backups.

Yes, the ego would be huge, but Albert might cope with the attitude to get that bat behind him. If he was willing to cope with BB . . . .

I have been watching the Cardinals/Braves series this week and one thought has me puzzled; why are both Nick Stavinoha and Joe Mather currently on the roster, since they are the same type of player? (Mather looks to be the better power bat between the two) Yes, Ankiel is on the DL, but is St. Louis showcasing Mather for a trade with Atlanta? If that’s the case, it’s likely St. Louis would pickup Will Ohman as the lefty they’re pursuing. Should Mather be headed to ATL, my guess is Mark Kotsay is likely on the move as well.

What’s more interesting is that Skip Schumaker was pulled from the game in the 9th with "leg cramp” and Nick played left while Mather moved to centerfield. Based upon everything I’ve read, my roster observations, and the comments made by Dan and Al during tonight’s broadcast a roster move seems imminent. I’m hoping we land Will Ohman, but Arthur Rhodes would fill the role too; the question becomes are we looking to rent-a-player or a possible addition to pitch this year as well as 2009.

1. I don’t think pulling a player in the ninth inning should be considered signs of anything.
2. Mather and Stavinoha are both on the roster because they are the only two outfielders in Memphis right now who can/have hit major league pitching. Barton is rehabbing, Duncan is broken and I don’t think anyone else has seen time on the big club this season.
3. The latest on Ohman is we’ve dropped out.
4. I’ve heard nothing on Rhodes for a while. I forget who was in on him, but it wasn’t us.

I think you can say for certain that Kotsay is also on the block. I don’t know if we’re trying to fill a LOOGy role for this year, a closer role for this year, or a closer/uberLOOGy role for the future. The targets vary depending upon what we’re looking for. Based upon everything I’ve read, we’re open to a variety of ways to strengthen the bullpen.

am i the only one that doesn’t want to trade him? i know there is a good chance he will be gone after this season, but having a top three of carp, waino, and lohse in the playoffs has to put us in a damn good spot, doesn’t it? i understand we will get a good package and i want us to trade for a reliever, but i dont want to trade what has been our best pitcher so far this year. if we trade him, i will be sorely disappointed.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/07/arthur-rhodes-t.html

Traded to the Marlins for Gaby Hernandez.

Don’t tell me we couldn’t have matched that!

get on the phone, Mo