The anniversary of the Raz' trade is Friday. A year ago folks were accusing Mo' of front office malfeasance one day then wanting to put him on the next Amtrak out of town the afternoon of the Rasmus trade. He couldn't win. Except win the team did indeed win. This team's needs are less severe. I'd lay off Mo' for now. A lot will happen between now and next Tuesday.

No. Sometimes I'll take dumb ones.

The Cardinals have never been sellers at the deadline under current ownership. I don't see that happening this year. The club isn't distressed financially. They're defending world champions and have invested more than $116M in payroll. The team is competitive. It should be better but has shown recent signs of a run. My vibe is they remain in it to win it.

Hope to learn more today.

Many have wondered the same. I'll advance it here for our compu-wizards to see. False modesty aside, being able to peruse an archive of JSL!!! would seem invaluable given the insight, humor and occasional snark. It's not a resource unless you exploit it, right?

I've been very impressed since catching his act during spring training. Rosenthal has a mature mental approach in addition to obvious talent. There's a reason a guy like him skips leagues twice within six months. There are those who project him as a late-inning reliever -- to some, the same projection accompanies Carlos Martinez. However, I believe Rosenthal, like Martinez, will get a chance to succeed in a Triple-A or even the major-league rotation before he lands in the bullpen.

The Cards have long had interest in Rays pitching. Mo' tried to strike a deal with Tampa Bay involving Rasmus in 2010. Shields is an innings monster, precisely what the Cardinals seek with young pitching approaching. Mo' continues to send signals that he isn't looking for rotation help. Of course, it wouldn't be the first time the Cardinals ran counter to public statements only to explain the contradiction as a reaction to the marketplace.

I would anticipate dialogue with Wainwright. Should Freese finish the schedule productive and healthy, there could be converstation there as well. With Craig a year shy of arbitration, any long-term deal with him seems a bit hasty. Additionally, If I'm Craig, I would prefer to negotiate after a year of 550 at-bats rather than after a season truncated by injury.

Done. You listening, BFIB?

If Puma is down for an extended period, I believe you may be spot on.

It does appear probable that blockbusters now must be predictated on players having significant term remaining. Salary dumps may now become more in vogue. Rentals are trickier with the modified compensation rules. It's one element that never made sense for the Cardinals re: Hamels. To sacrifice the kind of talent needed to acquire an elite pending free agent pitcher now seems confiscatory without the safety net of draft compensation. Give the Cardinals credit. They rarely act rashly. They have numerous huge contracts but aren't locked in for six or seven years. Holliday is the exception. Yes, Yadi accepted a five-year deal. But the Cardinals retain significant flexibility for a $110M-$120M payroll.

Technically, it's a suburb.

Very good question. There is actually growing internal support for putting Taveras on the table as an option for Aug/Sept THIS season if the club continues to struggle offensively. The Berkman injury is another development that may factor. Playing Carlos Beltran in CF against LHP is not a preferrable option. As Jay nears arbitration, the questions become mor difficult. He is a plus CF. He is a career .300 hitter. This team requires a fly-catcher in CF given that Holliday does not possess plus range and Beltran plays on fragile knees. The Cardinals may be intrigued if they could find someone who could fill a CF/Leadoff capacity.

I anticipate his return at some point this season. It may be presumptuous to envision him as more than a 6-inning pitcher again in 2012.

Timely hitting would help. There is no reason the Cardinals should be limited to 15 runs during a six-game road trip to Cincinnati and Milwaukee, especially when able to generate 51 AB's with RISP.

Victorino may be in the Reds future. He fits the profile of what they seek.

That would be fine if the Cards had a ready alternative as leadoff hitter. They don't. For this offense to go, Furcal has to be offer consistently quality at-bats. He was terrific at working counts early in the season. He also drove the ball more. The Cardinals approach their 100th game and Furcal has missed only eight stats. That's a pretty heavy load for a guy considered a health question with a capital Q in spring training. To compensate, Matheny has minimized the running demands on Raffy. But this is a long, very hot summer. They can't break him.

To me, you just cited the club's two most indispensible position players.