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MLB Trade Rumors: Cardinals Interested In Trading Colby Rasmus To Rays?

From MLBTradeRumors:

The Cardinals "might reconsider [their] stance" on trading center fielder Colby Rasmus, reports Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  He adds that GM John Mozeliak "would have to acquire a significant return for Rasmus but may be willing to plumb long-standing interest from the pitching-rich Tampa Bay Rays."

I wrote up a bit about this rumor over at DRaysBay, but in short, I don't see it happening. The Rays might be interested in Rasmus, as he's a talented player with plenty of upside, but I doubt they're willing to give up as much as the Cardinals want:

Rasmus is a great player, but he's essentially a slightly cheaper version of B.J. Upton. He hits for a low average (around .250), walks a bunch (11% of the time), and hits for a moderate amount of power (23 homeruns last year; .170 ISO this season). His defense gets mixed reviews from the defensive stats -- 'though the popular consensus is that he's a decent defender -- but he's a sure bet to post a 3.0 WAR season each year. Sound similar? So why would the Rays trade a starting pitcher to acquire a duplicate of a player they already own?

Rasmus has two advantages over Upton: he's two years younger, and he's under team control for three more seasons. Of course, he's entering arbitration and could still get a hefty payday, but he would still be cheaper than Upton next season.

With prospects Desmond Jennings and Brandon Guyer waiting to take over in the outfield, the Rays aren't in desperate need for an outfielder. If Rasmus came cheap enough, sure, the Rays should go for it. But right now, they are in a good enough place they can be choosy. If the Cardinals start asking for too much, the Rays can hang up with no qualms.

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