Holliday Could Be As Big Of An Addition As Halladay

Charlie Klein

The St. Louis Cardinals traded prospects Brett Wallace, Shane Peterson, and Clayton Mortensen to the Oakland Athletics for outfielder Matt Holliday and cash considerations yesterday in the biggest trade yet before the deadline on July 31.

The Cardinals have outdone themselves once again with another great addition to their NL Central leading squad. The Cardinals gave up a talented pitching prospect in Chris Perez for the best utility man in baseball in Mark DeRosa. Giving a manager like Tony LaRussa that kind of flexibility is a major lift for the pride of St. Louis. They traded Chris Duncan for the under perfoming Julio Lugo, who comes for free courtesy of the Boston Red Sox. To top it all off they add Matt Holliday, one year removed from an All-Star calibre season who will surely be energized by being in a pennant race. Add all of those players to a lineup that already boasts the best player in the game in Albert Pujols and one should have the recipe for a NL Central Division Championship.

In Holliday's first game in St. Louis red he went 4-5 with an RBI, run scored, and a stolen base. Peter Gammons told St. Louis sports radio station 101 ESPN that Holliday would thrive in a city like St. Louis because Holliday craves competition, wants to perform in sold out stadiums where baseball is a cherished tradition. Say what you will about St. Louis, but no one can doubt the city's devotion to its baseball team. Gammons said that Holliday was miserable in Oakland because of the change to the American League, the ruin that is the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, and the fact that the A's have been out of contention since the second week of April. A change of scenery could be what Holliday needs to push him back to elite status.

His addition to the Cardinals could have more of an impact on their team than the addition of Roy Halladay on the Phillies, or whatever team to which he ends up going. St. Louis already has the pitching necessary to carry them on a playoff run and adding a bat like Holliday's only makes the greatest hitter in the game better. That should be scary enough. The 2-3-4-5 of DeRosa, Pujols, Holliday, and Ludwick will do more for their team on a daily basis than Halladay will do every five days. That being said, Halladay is no slouch either and will have a major impact on whatever team he is traded to. In my opinion, the Cardinals have set themselves up well for a deep playoff run.

Looks like the Cubs will have to wait another year to break their curse.