Tony La Russa Roots For the Brewers

Last week the Cardinals made a trade to bolster their starting rotation and bullpen. In doing so they certainly improved their pitching staff, though that improvement came at a large cost as they sent their young slugging center fielder, Colby Rasmus, to the Blue Jays. I have to wonder if the Cardinals couldn't have made similar improvements without losing someone who could have become a centerpiece of their lineup in seasons to come. Rasmus has had his ups and downs over his time in the majors, but most scouts believe he's the real deal and one (tweeted by Buster Olney) said: "I think Rasmus has a chance to be a star. I don't understand that deal at all." At center field, such a commodity should be kept at nearly any cost.


The friction between Rasmus and La Russa had been well documented, with the manager telling the media that Rasmus didn't listen to Cardinals' coaches, but rather his father and personal coach instead. Shortly after last week's trade, Rasmus's father spoke to the media denying La Russa's claims, but obviously the Cards felt that Rasmus just wasn't a fit for their club, which more or less means La Russa doesn't like him and didn't want him on his team. Peter Gammons pointed to a deeper issue with regard to the trade, saying "Maybe Edwin Jackson becomes better than .500, but old adage:when managers make trades, general managers often trade jobs." Perhaps a better option would be for the general manager to find a new manager who won't chase valuable players out of town.

Most Brewers fans rejoiced to see Rasmus leave St. Louis, and the one Cardinal fan I know was extremely displeased with the move, the combination of which says a lot about the trade. Time will tell whether this trade will turn out to be as one-sided as we think it is, but right now I have to assume that La Russa really doesn't want his club to win, and in fact actually cheers for the Brewers. The trade couldn't have come at a better time for the Brewers, who send Zack Greinke to the mound today vs the Cards. Greinke has given up 10 HR to left handed hitters this season, compared with  only 3 to right handers.