Is now the time to trade for Matt Holliday?

is still getting used to having him in their line-up; trading him probably hasn’t even crossed their minds.

I’ll just throw some names out that could be a good fit

Jermaine Dye – right handed power hitting outfielder
Aubrey Huff – can he still play 3rd? plenty of OF experience as well
Jorge Cantu – can play 3rd
Mark DeRosa – can play all over

All could help boost the offense and all are FA at the end of the season….Dye might have an option though

as his value is really low, and if he happens to turn on the jets, he could become a type A and get us a first rounder from the lucky team that signs him(Yankees)

this current offensive drought is just a phase. The offense was hot in April, so it’s cool in May. But it will even out in the end.

On the other hand, the fan in me is starting to panic. So maybe they should do something, anything to get them of the rut.

Fire the hitting coach? Replace the video machines? Give Fredbird an evil twin? (Dreadbird?).

While it might be an overreaction, I do think there is some merit in replacing the hitting coach. It’s not so much the lack of hitting, but the impatience at the plate that is taking the toll on the team. If you don’t hit a lot, you can still score runs if you walk a lot. That’s a big reason the 80s Cardinals teams did it – when they were good, they lead the league in OBP. When they didn’t, they were bad.

Is now the time to trade for Matt Holliday?

No. No it isn’t.

that deal is far, far, far too much to give up for a marginal OF upgrade for 4 months. Jones is a legitimate top 100 (possibly even top 50 this year) prospect in baseball, AND you want to give up a cheap, back-of-the-rotation starter, AND a top relief prospect, all cheap and under team control for a total of over 15 years, for 4 months of expensive Holliday, who’s maybe a 2-win upgrade over Duncan (if Duncan continues to suck and Ank doesn’t pan out and take his spot) over the course of the contract, at a cost of nearly $10m?

Our awesome 3B from last year is not even guaranteed to play this year. We desperately need a 3B solution that can actually hit, since TLR is gonna keep Thurston as the starter until somebody other than Barden is available for him to use. Ludwick will be back soon, so there’s your Matt Holliday. I think I’d much rather just find out the optimal combination of Ankiel/Colby/Duncan/Craig?/Walrus?/DJ Tools?/Roided up Fredbird? to handle the other outfield spots. Having a SS who can hit a little would be nice, but at least our Ryan is reliable for defensive purposes.

If the deal was right.

I still think getting Luddy healthy, getting Molina back on track, and finding an option for 3B is probably more important.

And that said, I’m not really FOR acquiring Derosa, unless the price is relatively cheap. Sure he had last year, but he isn’t hitting this year as of yet. Maybe he will, maybe he won’t, but I’ve never understood trading for unproven guys that currently aren’t hitting, and thinking they’ll save the day.

why does this always come up?

Joking, joking..put the stones or other potentially deadly objects away..

Why does Matt Holliday always come up? Why are Cardinals fans obsessed with getting him? He’s good, yes, but how good? And how much better is he than what the team already has? He’s probably better than Ankiel or Rasmus (for now anyway), but those guys have value in the fact that they can play center field, which Holliday cannot. He’s better than Duncan, sure…but Holliday would probably cost young players the team could use in the upcoming seasons. So, you’re replacing Duncan with Holliday and losing all the value Jones/Boggs/Garcia/whoever will provide in the next few seasons. The deal may even include Ryan Ludwick, and that is a sideways trade. I don’t see any dramatic difference between the two.

So basically the cost-benefit does not come out in St. Louis’s favor. So why do it? Now, if Holliday were a good two-way shortstop or third baseman, than we may have something…but he’s not. They don’t need him.

I’m not going to say that we should do everything in our power to get him, but why would any team turn away a guy who, per 162 games, does this:

.316/.384/.545 for an OPS of .928, an OPS+ of 130 with 29 homers, 112 RBI, 47 other extra base hits, and 15 steals. To add to this, one season he led the league in avg, hits, doubles, and RBI. He also had 6 triples and 36 homers that year.

He has played 5 full seasons, getting 10 or more steals four times, 25 or more homers three times, 100 or more RBI twice, 5 or more triples three times, 30 or more doubles 4 times, hit .320 or higher three times, had an OBP upwards of .400 twice, SLG over .580 twice.

Looking at how he ranks in active players’ career stats:
5th in AVG – .316
17th in OBP – .384
12th in SLG – .545
23rd in Adjuested OPS+ – 130

On his baseball-reference comps lists are the following players:
David Wright, Jason Bay, Hideki Matsui, Miguel Cabrera, Chase Utley, Grady Sizemore, Lance Berkman, Magglio Ordonez, Larry Walker, Mike Sweeney, et. al.

Are you saying you wouldn’t want any of those guys? Really? Over Duncan or Ankiel?

I understand the defense would not be Grady Sizemore-esque, but it could be better than Duncan – by a lot – Ludwick – by a little? – and possibly Ankiel – minus the arm.

That adds another OF, and we’ve got more than enough right now. Promote T. Greene again and find something to do with Khalil. When Lud comes back, things will get rolling again.

A’s fan here. I think if the A’s do trade Holliday, Beane will absolutely want a third baseman and/or a shortstop that is going to be above average. Holliday is a huge trading chip for the team, even with him being a free agent at the end of the year. I think the A’s have specific holes they need to fill which they’ll be using Holliday to try and fill if they continue to flounder.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/A6EF5DF65568F6E9862575C30009C21D?OpenDocument

If Troy is coming back in a reasonable time frame (not likely) we stand pat. If he is out then let us look to Beltre. Adrian is in his last year of his contract and if Seattle is out of it a salary dump might right up their alley. Adrian will be owed 6m for the second half of the year. He has a limitted no trade and he is in is 5th year with the Mariners. So I am not sure if the 10-5 rule would apply. All GM’s know that prospects are worth more than a rental. Unless we are talking about a C.C. rental! I am guessing we could make that deal. Specially since Beltre is off to a slow start.

Side bar. Did Glaus know he was hurt and made sure the Cards picked up his option before he announced it? Just wondering.