Saturday, December 18, 2004
MARK MULDER HEADED TO ST. LOUIS
WOW!
Mark Mulder has been traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitchers Danny Haren, Kiko Calero, and catcher Daric Barton.
Coming off of the Tim Hudson deal, I didn't think Billy Beane would even think of trading Mulder or Barry Zito this offseason. But I was wrong. So now the Big Three is just one, with Zito remaining in Oakland.
I've probably watched more Cardinals games than anybody in the Mariner blogosphere, considering my location. What do I think of Haren and Calero? Haren has been highly touted by the Cardinals. He spent most of the 2004 season at Triple-A Memphis, where he went 11-4 with a 4.15 ERA. I think the A's have another pitching gem on their hands, this time with Haren.
As for Calero, he was one of the main reasons why the Cardinals bullpen was successful in 2004. In 45.1 IP, Calero was 3-1 with an ERA of 2.78. He will definitely help the A's bullpen, no doubt about it.
So I wouldn't write this deal off for Oakland at all. But obviously, the Cardinals come out the winner in this deal. They had to add another starting pitcher this offseason. Pitching was the reason why they didn't win the World Series.
But with the addition of Mulder, the Cardinals just made themselves a better ballclub. General manager Walt Jocketty deserves a lot of credit here for bringing Mulder to the Gateway City. There had been talk of the Cardinals being interested in Randy Johnson, but obviously, that will not happen now. And that's not a bad thing, considering that Johnson is 41 years old and Mulder is just 27.
Man, being a Mariner fan right now is great, isn't it? Not only do the Mariners sign Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson, the A's unload 2/3 of the Big Three. Good stuff.
Mark Mulder has been traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitchers Danny Haren, Kiko Calero, and catcher Daric Barton.
Coming off of the Tim Hudson deal, I didn't think Billy Beane would even think of trading Mulder or Barry Zito this offseason. But I was wrong. So now the Big Three is just one, with Zito remaining in Oakland.
I've probably watched more Cardinals games than anybody in the Mariner blogosphere, considering my location. What do I think of Haren and Calero? Haren has been highly touted by the Cardinals. He spent most of the 2004 season at Triple-A Memphis, where he went 11-4 with a 4.15 ERA. I think the A's have another pitching gem on their hands, this time with Haren.
As for Calero, he was one of the main reasons why the Cardinals bullpen was successful in 2004. In 45.1 IP, Calero was 3-1 with an ERA of 2.78. He will definitely help the A's bullpen, no doubt about it.
So I wouldn't write this deal off for Oakland at all. But obviously, the Cardinals come out the winner in this deal. They had to add another starting pitcher this offseason. Pitching was the reason why they didn't win the World Series.
But with the addition of Mulder, the Cardinals just made themselves a better ballclub. General manager Walt Jocketty deserves a lot of credit here for bringing Mulder to the Gateway City. There had been talk of the Cardinals being interested in Randy Johnson, but obviously, that will not happen now. And that's not a bad thing, considering that Johnson is 41 years old and Mulder is just 27.
Man, being a Mariner fan right now is great, isn't it? Not only do the Mariners sign Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson, the A's unload 2/3 of the Big Three. Good stuff.
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