Not surprisingly, the St. Louis Cardinals granted the apparent wish of outfielder Colby Rasmus to be sent as far away from President Barack Obama manager Tony La Russa as possible. Obviously, his wearing of an Auburn cap in the above photo was the last straw, as Joe Sports Fan reported first.
What was surprising: The team that acquired the talented young outcast, and how.
Breaking the ice of Major League Baseball's trading deadline season, the Toronto Blue Jays acquired Rasmus in a three-way deal involving the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.
Going to St. Louis: Starting pitcher Edwin Jackson (via Chicago), along with relievers Octavio Dotel and Marc Rzepczynski, and outfielder Corey Patterson (all via Toronto, which also is sending three players to be named later).
Going to Chicago: Relievers Trever Miller (via St. Louis) and Jason Frasor, along with minor league pitcher Zach Stewart (both via Toronto).
Going to Toronto: (via St. Louis) Rasmus, relievers�P.J. Walters and Brian Tallet (and his mustache), along with infielder/outfielder Mark Teahen (via Chicago).
Alex Anthopoulos, you son of a gunderson. The GM of the Blue Jays practically stole Rasmus from the Cardinals, who grew tired him not living up to the production he showed in 2010, when he batted .276/.361/.498 with 23 homers.
We can thank a Tony for an assist with the trade. Either La Russa or Rasmus, Colby's dad. Pick one.
The Redbirds also seemed to grow tired of Rasmus' attitude which, some speculate, stems from the relationship with his reportedly meddling father. There's just one too many Tonys in Rasmus' life.
La Russa recently said that Rasmus "doesn't listen to coaches" ? but implied he does listen to his dad ? which is why he is prone to slumps.
Whatever his issues, Rasmus is by far the most talented player in the trade, which does address one of St. Louis' needs ? more pitching. But it comes at a huge cost, for now and for the future.
Edwin Jackson is a free agent at season's end, Dotel is 37 years old and Patterson's career has mirrored what Rasmus' might look like if he doesn't develop consistency. Rzepczynski is really hard to spell, but is left-handed.
Rasmus, conversely, is under club control for three more seasons. He turns 25 next month. His arrival is a big boon for the Blue Jays, provided they can keep his dad tangled at customs until 2014. They didn't give up nothing to get him, but they didn't give a lot.
The White Sox are cutting salary. That's it. They have to pay for Ken Williams' other mistakes somehow. It's just too bad for them they couldn't have gotten Rasmus out of the deal.
A final question: Will Rasmus take advantage of the socialized medicine available in Canada, will it affect his opinion of the current presidential administration, and might he change his T-shirt? More on this as it develops.
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