Whats up everybody?  I usually just read, but I just saw the Baron's fanpost and I have to admit the tone definitely has been different than in years past and I haven't been able to bring myself around as much to read the posts as religiously as I did before. Definitely not here to preach though, believe me If I had something pertinent to say I would/should have said it long ago.  Just wanna get back to the business at hand. It is a huge time for all of us here in Cardinal Nation, as we just witnessed what may have been a decade defining move and I think understandably many of us are still sorting our feelings out.  There seems to be two sides to this coin (imagine that), too much, too long on one side, and OMG, we are gonna be really friggin' good (for a couple years at least) on the other.  The line is not necessarily definitive, I tend to find myself on one, the other, or both within the same hour quite often.  In the end, I genuinely think the move was made to give us a chance at keeping Albert, with the realization that we can't have Matt, Albert and a $100 million dollar payroll.  As long as ownership is willing to commit this, I think the team should be fine even if Holliday doesn't "earn" his salary the last couple years of the deal.  So, this is good news right?

Truth is, I'm not sure.  While I try to let  level-headedness prevail, I haven't been able to shake this sinking feeling every time I really think about this situation.  There is something I haven't told you guys, and for good reason.  I live in Chicago.  What does this have to do with anything?  Well, I'll tell you.  I watch the Cubs play.  A lot.  Not because I want to, but because I have to.  I love baseball, I'd watch anyone play, and I can't afford Extra Innings.  So the Cubs have to do, and while some may say I'm sleeping with the enemy, I'm not, I'm just scouting them, I sware.  Last year  was supposed to be the Cubbies year, and they were talking World Series around here before Milton Bradley could even roll the dice let alone get outta jail free.  All summer long all I ever heard from Bob, Len and every other schmoe to touch a mic in this god forsaken city was that "any day now, the Cubs will straighten their act out and leave the rest of these fools in the dust."  National announcers were the worst, if only you could win the series on paper in the preseason, heh?  Thing was, I was watching the games.  The Cubs were bad, I mean real bad.  Yeah, they had good days, but so does everyone and they were so maddeningly inconsistent I truly believe they did not have it in them.  What does this have to do with anything you ask?

Two words:  Brett Wallace.  The way I see it, It was highly likely that the Cards would have won the division, faltered in the playoffs and still had just as much of a chance of landing Holliday anyway without making the trade for Matt, especially the way things have played out now.  Not to throw Mr. Mo under the bus, but maybe all this "flexibility" talk really got to me the last few years.  To me, Wallace provided the perfect amount of insurance on Albert's elbow, and at the same time was that movable part (assuming Albert's health) that we could use to land a young cost controlled player that we really needed, essentially the move Billy Beane just made in landing Michael Taylor for Wallace.  Maybe all of this is a moot point, ownership will raise the payroll to the $130+ Million range over the next few years, Luhnow will have some hellified drafts, and I'll wish I never would of written this darned post.  What say ye, VEB?  Am I grounded in my concerns? Or am I just a sick, sick man?  I do live in Chicago after all.

    You guys may think I'm crazy here but why don't we make a deal before San Fran solves their 1st base problem.  They want a left-handed first basemen, and would need a pitcher to take Sanchez' spot in the rotation.  They are full of young pitching and I have adored Sanchez for a couple of years now.  He has Liriano type stuff and is waiting to break out.  Eugenio Velez appears raw, but his skill set is much like that of the enigmatic Jose Reyes before he put it all together.  I know giving up Dunc is a lot but with the 09 rotation either very expensive or very much up in the air wouldn't Sanchez alone be worth it?