The St. Louis Cardinals and the Oakland Athletics have made the first blockbuster trade of the 2009 season. The Cardinals received three-time All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday from the Athletics for three minor league prospects. In addition to Matt Holliday, the Cardinals also received $1.5 million. This appears to be a win-win situation, as both clubs look to make the best of this trade. The Cardinals are getting a deal that is going to help them now, whereas the Athletics are getting a deal that will set them up for the future.

St. Louis is getting a star outfielder. Matt Holliday is more than just a three time All-Star. He is a three time Silver Slugger and a runner up to the 2007 National League MVP award. Before joining the Cardinals, Holliday was a career .315 hitter, with two 30+ home run seasons. Holliday is a much better player than his numbers show with the Athletics this season. In his first series with the Cardinals, Matt went 7 for 11 with 3 RBI’s against the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. Matt opted against driving from New York, where the Athletics were set to open a series against the Yankees, to Philadelphia and instead, he took a train with his wife. Matt arrived early enough that Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was able to pencil him in the starting lineup. That would prove to be helpful as Matt went 4 for 5 with a double, a stolen base and one RBI in the Cardinal’s win. Matt proved that he wanted to play for his new team by arriving at the field early instead of showing up late and only being available as a pinch hitter.

Another thing that Holliday brings is post season experience. He knows how to play when it counts. He went on a tear in September 2007, leading the Colorado Rockies to their first postseason appearance and earned himself the National League Player of the Month award. He continued his hot streak in the postseason, belting 5 home runs and 10 RBI’s, and earned the National League Championship Series MVP award. Now, he is on a team with a stronger lineup and better management that is set to make playoff runs for many seasons to come.

That stronger lineup includes a dangerous outfield trio in Holliday, Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel. Ludwick is batting .275 this year with 17 home runs and 63 RBI’s. Last year, Ludwick slugged 37 home runs and 113 RBI’s. Ankiel, one of Major League Baseball’s great stories, hit .264 last year with 25 home runs and 71 RBI’s. His numbers are down this year, however, as he spent most of May on the disabled list after a nasty collision against the outfield wall in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies. If you add up all three players stats from 2008, you have 87 home runs and 272 RBI’s. Add those numbers to a lineup that also showcases the dangerous Albert Pujols, and you have a team that is going to be very strong and competitive going into a pennant race come September.

As for the Athletics, they are preparing for the future. Some people will argue that prospects do not help a team right now. While that is true, they will help in the future. This season is all but lost for the Athletics, who are 17 games out of first place and are looking to finish the season in last place. Knowing that the chances of overtaking the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, or wherever they are from this season, or the Texas Rangers is a long shot, Oakland management decided to plan for the future.

That future will now include outfielder Shane Peterson, who was batting .295 with 7 home runs and 46 RBI’s between A and AA ball in the Cardinal’s minor league system. Also included is right-handed pitcher Clayton Petersen, who was 7-6 with 82 strikeouts and a 4.37 ERA in 17 games in AAA. He made one appearance with the Cardinals this year, giving up 6 runs, 2 of which were earned and recording 2 strikeouts in a three inning relief appearance. The third, and possibly biggest, part of the A’s future is third baseman Brett Wallace. Once thought to be an untouchable prospect, the Cardinals proved that no player is untouchable when the right offer comes around. Between AA and AAA, Wallace hit .288 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI’s. He is the 42^nd ranked prospect in the Major Leagues this season. Brett has a strong left-handed bat and likes to hit in the heart of the lineup.

Three prospects that will be Major League ready soon, and at a reasonable price, are a great addition to a team in a rebuilding stage. Picking up a star outfielder that plays well down the stretch in a lineup poised to make the playoffs isn’t bad either. Both teams addressed their needs well in this trade. The Cardinals needed a good bat to protect Albert Pujols, and a great bat is what they got. The Athletics needed to save some salary and build for the future after a poor first half of the season. Trading Holliday for three prospects was the best move the Athletics could make.

The bar is now set for the next few days of trading. The Cardinals proved that no one is untouchable when the right offer comes around by trading one of their “untouchable” prospects. The Athletics proved that some teams need to cut ties with their stars and plan for the future. Will the Philadelphia Phillies give up their farm system for Roy Halladay? Will the Cleveland Indians trade Cliff Lee to a contender? Will any other blockbuster deals go down before the trade deadline on July 31^st? One thing is definite; this is an exciting time of the season, especially if your team is involved with the trade talks. Only time will tell who the winners and losers are this year. So far, we have two good winners and I’m sure more are soon to follow.

Let’s begin with Ryan Dempster and the obscure injury that has forced the Cubs starting pitcher to the disabled list. Dempster injured his big right toe on Sunday when jumping over the dugout railing to celebrate his team’s win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Dempster fractured his toe and could be on the shelf for at least a month. He got his leg stuck on the railing and landed hard, causing the injury.

The injury to Dempster is a big blow to the Cubs; who activated Aramis Ramirez, Angel Guzman, and Reed Johnson from the Disabled List on Monday to help the team get just a little bit healthier. Now Dempster is in danger of missing at least three starts, maybe even five, after winning 17 games in 2008 with the Cubs.

Phillies Scout Martinez:

Not long after Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told reporters that the team has no interest in signing Pedro Martinez the club sent scouts to watch him throw a simulated game in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday.

An unnamed source from another club monitoring Martinez claims that the Phillies are more interested in the righty then they are actually letting on in the media. The Phillies were supposedly the only club present on Tuesday. Stay tuned for more on this development.

Beltran and Reyes Not Close:

The Mets received some harsh news earlier this week when they found out that injured stars Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes will not return to the lineup any time soon. Beltran will not be evaluated until after the All-Star Break and will need a rehab assignment prior to being activated from the Disabled List. On the other hand, Reyes needed a cortisone shot in his right leg Tuesday because he still felt pain. The Mets did not say what the timetable for his return would be either.

Cubs For Sale:

The Chicago Cubs, owned by the Tribune Co., received a second offer for the sale of the franchise on Tuesday. The group, run by private equity investor Marc Utay, is the second offer made to the Tribune Co. recently. The Tribune Co. now has two offers to submit to the bankruptcy court regarding their sale.

DeRosa to the D.L.:

The St. Louis Cardinals acquired Mark DeRosa from the Cleveland Indians not too long ago and have now placed the utility player on the Disabled List with a strained left wrist. DeRosa went 0-for-9 in his first three games with the RedBirds after hitting .270 with the Indians in 2009.

LaRussa Drops Twitter Lawsuit:

Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa dropped all claims in a lawsuit against the social media site Twitter. The one paragraph statement also said that LaRussa was not compensated in exchange for the drop of the suit and that he cannot reopen the same suit against Twitter in the future.

The lawsuit stated that Twitter committed an alleged trademark infringement, cybersquatting, and misappropriation of his name. He accuses Twitter of posting an unauthorized page with his name on it which caused emotional distress because the page made light of his DUI charge and the recent deaths of two Cardinals pitchers.

Halladay on the Market?:

General Manager J.P. Ricciardi of the Toronto Blue Jays told the media on Tuesday that the team will listen to offers on their star pitcher. Halladay has a no-trade clause that he will have to waive if the Blue Jays wish to trade him before the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline.

“He’s open to at least listening,” said Ricciardi. “He’s not going to be a guy who will let you do all the work [preparing for a possible trade], and then he’s not willing to listen. If it makes sense, he will listen.”

Halladay will be eligible for free agency after the 2010 season and said he would like to stay in Toronto but it might be tough to get an extension done, causing the Jays to get as much in return for their ace as possible via a trade.

“I want to stay, but I think it’s a situation you have to evaluate,” Halladay said. “I’m really not at that situation just yet. If something does come up, you weigh your options at that point. I hate to put the cart in front of the horse and start saying ‘Do I want to do that?’ I think you just evaluate the situations when they come.”

The teams interested in Halladay are the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Philadelphia Phillies, possibly the Boston Red Sox, possibly the New York Yankees, the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers and maybe even the New York Mets.

The Cardinals are sitting in a three way tie for second place in the National League Central behind the Brewers, 2.5 games out of first place. The Cardinals have gone through a variety of position players and pitchers so far in 2009 due to a handful of injuries. In 2008 the Cardinals drafted Arizona State University third baseman Brett Wallace with the 13th pick in the draft. Wallace is hitting .261 between two levels in 2009. He has spent time with Springfield and Memphis.