Trade mongering

We really needed that 12-3 blowout last night. If only to remind us that we're still capable of doing so. The pitching was excellent, save for a lackluster appearance by Ron Villone. I'm beginning to think that something could be wrong with him physically. Be it a tired arm or something more serious, Villone hasn't looked sharp in his past two outings. He's pitched 37.2 innings this year, nearly as many as he had all of last year with the New York Yankees (42.1). You have Kyle McClellan, Izzy, Kelvin Jimenez, and Brad Thompson all fresh for tonight; keep Ron and Ryan Franklin, who also looks like he's suffering from exhaustion, on the bench and hope your starter can pitch seven.

There was an interesting observation made around cyber-Cardinal Nation that Chris Carpenter's first start on Wednesday is as much strategy as it is trying to get him back with the team. The Cardinals need to see what they have in Carp, not unlike what they did with Mark Mulder earlier this year, and thus are putting him on the mound before the July 31st trade deadline. If he makes it through his start with no major hiccups, the need for a starter is lessened and they can direct more resources towards getting a hitter or lefty reliever. If he doesn't make it through, well... overpaying for A.J. Burnett it is, then. It's for this reason that I think the Cards are going to wait until late Wednesday/Thursday to make any big deals. And it's also for this reason that Carp is coming back as a starter and not a reliever.

For those wanting the Cardinals to get Brian Fuentes, don't hold your breath. Per ESPN.com:

Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd told SI.com that it's "highly unlikely" Colorado would trade Fuentes or Matt Holliday

That could put the kabosh on the Peter Gammons' rumor that the phone lines were heating up between O'Dowd and John Mozeliak. I think the fact that the Rockies are in a complicated NL West race and are the defending NL champions ties the Rockies down when talking about trading Matt Holliday, the face of their team. And Brian Fuentes is still an integral part of their bullpen, making him a reluctant player to move for anything less than a hefty return. If the Rockies sell, it will, like the Cardinals, be on late Wednesday or Thursday, when they have to make a gut-wrenching decision as to whether or not they're still in the division race.

Another lefthanded reliever to track is Will Ohman of the Atlanta Braves. It's nearly certain that the Braves will move him, and Jayson Stark sees the Cardinals as a player for him:

If the Braves also put left-handed reliever Will Ohman on the market, they'll have "no problem" moving him, said an official of one interested club.

Teams that already have called about Ohman include the Tigers, Rays, Yankees and Cardinals.

Ohman would be a great second option to George Sherrill, especially if we could sign him to an affordable extension. Ohman has a 8.32 K/9 this year and a 9.12 K/9 for his career. Additionally, he has a 0.41 HR/9 and a 3.00 FIP, two other numbers I like to see. One solid prospect and a lower tier one should be enough to get him, although the price will be higher with Fuentes off the market for now. I think there's a rule about how many former Cubs you're allowed to have on your team, though, and we might break that with Todd Wellemeyer and Cesar Izturis already on the roster.

New development from the Adam Wainwright front. Per Joe Strauss:

The timeline may be written in pencil, but barring complications during today's bullpen session pitcher Adam Wainwright will begin a rehab assignment Friday with an abbreviated start for an unspecified affiliate.

That's good news. Houstoncardinal discusses whether Wainwright should return to the rotation or bullpen at VEB.

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I'll be around all day to post updates on any trade rumors if needed. I don't suspect anything major will happen today, but we might hear some more rumblings concerning "ongoing discussions." When that happens, it's usually a good sign.