Athletics deal Holliday to Cardinals
Photo credit: Getty Images | Matt Holliday will head to St. Louis and help the Cardinals make a run in a wild NL Central race.
There was little surprise in the Athletics' clubhouse Friday hours after Matt Holliday was traded to St. Louis.
"We knew this was going to happen when you're in the position in the standings that we are and you got guys that are going to be free agents at the end of the year," said A's pitcher Russ Springer, a 17-year veteran.
Holliday, 29, was traded for minor-league third baseman Brett Wallace, starting pitcher Clay Mortensen and outfielder Shane Peterson. The A's, 40-54 entering Friday night's game against the Yankees, were in last place in the AL West - 101/2 games behind third-place Seattle - and had the fifth-worst winning percentage in baseball, .426.
The Cardinals (52-46) led the NL Central by 11/2 games entering Friday's games. Springer expects Holliday, a former Rockies star now back in the National League, to fit in well.
"I'm happy for Matt he's going to a great situation, to a great organization that's definitely in the hunt,'' Springer said. "A move like that, putting him in that lineup behind [Albert] Pujols, that's all of a sudden turning a pretty good lineup into a scary lineup. I know the guys in that clubhouse. They're going to like him and he's going to like them."
It was a typical trade for A's general manager Billy Beane. He acquired Holliday from Colorado before this season but knew the three-time All-Star would command too much in free agency to be re-signed.
The Yankees, who have two games remaining in a four-game series with the A's this weekend, were made aware Thursday night that Holliday could be traded, manager Joe Girardi said.
Holliday himself knew he might be finishing the season elsewhere. "I think he listened to it a little bit more in the year and as time went on in it," said infielder Bobby Crosby, who had become close with Holliday. "He kind of knew something could happen. It was 50-50."
Holliday walked into Crosby's hotel room at about 11 Friday morning and broke the news. "He was a guy that I became pretty good friends with,'' Crosby said. "It's always tough on a personal level."
Wallace, 22, batted .293 with six homers in 62 games at the Triple-A level. He was the 13th overall pick in last year's draft.
