Rumors about the A's and Cardinals working on a trade for Matt Holliday have been swirling for the past couple days, and according to Tim Kurkjian of ESPN.com the deal is now on the verge of becoming official:
The Athletics and Cardinals are close to completing a trade that would send outfielder Matt Holliday to St. Louis in exchange for third baseman Brett Wallace, outfielder Shane Peterson and right-handed pitcher Clayton Mortensen.
Last night our own Matthew Pouliot analyzed the potential St. Louis-Oakland deal and concluded that Brett Wallace was a reasonable haul for Holliday, so under that assumption the A's would be doing very well by also picking up 2008 second-round pick Shane Peterson and 2007 first-round pick Clayton Mortensen (although neither has been all that impressive since being drafted).
In fact, a Wallace-Peterson-Mortensen return would be fairly similar in terms of overall value to the three-player package of Carlos Gonzalez, Huston Street, and Greg Smith that the A's sent to the Rockies for Holliday in November. Of course, simply treading water in the value department while paying Holliday a whole bunch of money isn't what the A's had in mind at the time of the original deal.
On the other hand, merely recouping that value is pretty good with Holliday hitting .286/.378/.454 after batting .319/.386/.552 in Colorado. For the Cardinals, giving up last year's first- and second-round picks along with a potentially useful 24-year-old pitcher would be a very steep price for two months of Holliday, but the ability to either re-sign him at a discount or take draft picks when he walks as a free agent balances the scales.
All in all, Kurkjian's reported 3-for-1 deal strikes me as a reasonable move for both sides and perhaps a slight "win" for the A's. Many people believe that Wallace will become a star and at the very least he looks likely to develop into an impact hitter, but I'm somewhat skeptical about his true ceiling and if he can't stick at third base defensively the Cardinals don't really have a spot for him as long as that El Hombre guy is around.
Holliday represents a significant upgrade for the Cardinals, who've been searching for a big bat to hit behind Albert Pujols and rank 14th in the league with a measly .635 OPS from their left fielders. Two strong months from Holliday and a pair of draft picks if he leaves as a free agent could get them into the playoffs and then give them a shot to select the next Wallace and Peterson come June.
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I like this trade for the Cardinals. With adding Holliday to there line up. It gives them the best one two punch in the National league central. I see a return to 2008 form for Holiday with facing familiar NL Pitchers. Plus a more hitter friendly park helps too.
It's more than I expected the A's to get, however I am not holding my breath about Wallace having any longevity at 3B, in fact I doubt he even has the 3B lifespace of G.Atkins or Youk. But a bat is a bat, and I do believe he will be a productive major league hitter at either corner, which are needs. win-win with the realization that Street was doomed, they didn't believe in Gonzo so much and G.Smith was an after thought. Only time will tell, but I am glad the A's didn't just let another player of value walk away.
Good summary. A bit inaccurate though: Peterson and Mortensen are similar to the 2 picks the Cards will pick up if Holliday leaves as a FA; they were #36 and #59 overall. Those compensation picks wouldn't be the #13 overall and they'd be more lucky than good if they were able to find someone that was rated as high as Wallace with it.
Trading the #13 overall pick, and one that was developing nicely and already in AAA for 2.5 months of Holliday. But Wallace can barely field at 3B, he's like Miguel Cabrera, and if he has to change positions then there wouldn't be a place for him in Stl.
Good win-win trade.
Brett Wallace was probably the best hitter in last years draft and already progressing well in AAA. To say he can barely field at 3rd base is a huge misstatement. He is slightly below average at 3rd base, but it is reasonable to believe he can still play the hot corner. Bottom line, is his bat is head and shoulders above most minor league hitters. They will find a spot for him and I personally believe it will be at 3rd base.
the a's have a need at 1st too, unless they believe Barton will come around at the plate.
To say "Brett Wallace was probably the best hitter in last years draft and already progressing well in AAA" is somewhat funny when you look at what Gordon Beckhmam is doing in Chicago. He blew past AAA and is doing quite well in the show.
Wallace is from sonoma calif......he goes home to play...he's got to be fired up!!
Also if he cant play 3rd there is always 1b and DH...he's definitely better suited for AL