well, here's just what stl's struggling offense needs. reggie should be back in time to get some september at-bats and sharpen up for the postseason; meantime (barring a trade) we'll be seeing john mabry (.725 ops) and so taguchi (.724) on a more or less daily basis.
time to dust off the trade-for-outfielder discussion threads. lot of teams shopping, including the cubs astros dodgers braves and yankees. for which reason i continue to favor a cheap pickup, preserving the bulk of the talent expense-budget for my boy billy wagner. the cards don't need a star, just somebody who can perform at an average level while reggie recuperates and then pinch-hit / spot start down the stretch and into october. there's apparently no market for randy winn, whose bat is punchless this season; but he can still get on base, he's fast, he switch hits -- useful bench player if/when all the starters come back healthy. i would not even mind (altho i'm guessing a lot of you would) if they brought in somebody like rondell white (though he apparently has had shoulder problems lately) or matt stairs to hold a finger in the dike; neither acquisition would significantly deplete the organization's already thin minor-league talent base, nor stretch its payroll. it's a limited assignment and requires nothing more than basic service -- happy opportunity for some seen-it-all mlb veteran wasting away on a last-place roster.