You always have excellent answers. I just saw a comment about Scott Rolen being mentioned in a trade. Surely the Cardinals would not let this man go. Have you heard or seen anything about a Rolen trade? Seems to be great guy and great ballplayer.
-- Jerry S., Raleigh, N.C.
I would be absolutely shocked if Rolen were traded, for a few reasons. One, it would be very tough to get value back for such a high-quality player. Two, on the flipside, he has a pretty hefty contract for the next four years, so there's a very limited number of teams that could or would pick it up. Third, and most important, he has a no-trade clause, and he has no desire to leave.
The issues between Rolen and Tony La Russa were obviously not kept secret this past fall, but it's not the kind of thing that I expect to lead to a deal. There was some frustration on both sides, and personally I believe that both of them could have handled some things differently. But it's not a Gary Sheffield situation, or a Terrell Owens-any given coach feud.
I understand that the Braves would be interested in trading Marcus Giles. What are your thoughts on what it would take to acquire him, and what do you feel we would be able to realistically expect from him?
-- Corey G., St. Louis
I have been told that Atlanta is, in fact, interested in dealing Giles. He's in his last year before free agency, and will likely make somewhere in the neighborhood of $6 million this year. The Braves would love to acquire a leadoff man of some sort, or relief help, in exchange for Giles.
The two teams have dealt before, and Walt Jocketty and John Schuerholz hold each other in high regard. So Atlanta is certainly a potential trading partner for the Cards, if Jocketty decides to go that route.
However, there's a question as to which Giles you would be getting. His offense took a significant dip in 2006, to the point where he wasn't really a significant batting asset. If he returns to his 2004-05 level, to say nothing of the tremendous offense he provided in 2003, he'd be a big lift. But it's not a sure thing.
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