MLB Trade Deadline 2011: Breaking Down the Colby Rasmus-Edwin Jackson Trade

Earlier today, the St. Louis Cardinals traded Colby Rasmus to the Toronto Blue Jays, despite repeatedly insisting they weren’t shopping the young outfielder.

But now the deal is done, so let’s break down the players involved in the trade.

The eight-player deal sent starter Edwin Jackson, relievers Octavio Dotel and Marc Rzepczynski and outfielder Corey Patterson to the Redbirds for outfielder Colby Rasmus and relievers Trever Miller, P.J. Walters and Brian Tallet.

Here’s a player-by-player breakdown of what each team received in the blockbuster trade.

Blue Jays Get: Brian Tallet, RP

Tallet is on his way back to Toronto, the place where he spent the past five years of his career.

Since posting a 2.88 ERA in 2008, Tallet has posted 5.32 and 6.40 ERAs the last two seasons and has an 8.31 ERA through 13 innings this season.

He’s also currently on the DL, so he appears to be a guy who was just thrown into this deal to get him off the Cardinals roster.

Cardinals Get: Marc Rzepczynski, RP

Rzepczynski is a solid left-handed reliever and should be a nice addition to the Cardinals bullpen.

Trever Miller has been very ineffective this season, so the Cardinals need some help from the left side.

Rzepczynski’s 2.97 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 40 innings pitched will be a nice boost to the St. Louis bullpen.

Blue Jays Get: P.J. Walters, RP

Walters only threw four innings for the Redbirds this season, but he gave up a grand slam in his last outing on Monday night.

He’s still young, though, and could develop into a decent starter for the Blue Jays in the near future.

He just wore out his welcome in St. Louis.

Cardinals Get: Corey Patterson, RF/CF/LF

Patterson is hitting .252 with six home runs, 33 RBI and 13 stolen bases so far this season.

That’s not bad production from a guy who will probably be the Cardinals’ fourth outfielder.

He also solves the problem of the outfield rotation, as now Jon Jay is the everyday center fielder and Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman play left and right field respectively.

Plugging in Patterson and Allen Craig to rest any of the three wouldn’t be a bad option for manager Tony La Russa.

Blue Jays Get: Trever Miller, RP

Miller used to be a sure thing when it came to retiring left-handed hitters.

But this year, he’s been very inconsistent. He has a 4.02 ERA and seems to always allow left-handed hitters to reach base.

The 38-year-old may not have much left in his tank.

Cardinals Get: Octavio Dotel, RP

Dotel would like to be a closer, but I don’t see that happening in St. Louis.

He’s been too inconsistent to be counted on. Current closer Fernando Salas has struggled lately but has generally been a solid closer this year.

Dotel still strikes out a lot of batters and should become the primary eighth-inning guy for Tony La Russa.

He should also get the first shot at saves on days when Salas is unavailable.

Blue Jays Get: Colby Rasmus, CF

Rasmus is the real key to this trade, obviously.

If he develops into an All-Star, the Blue Jays win this trade.

But if he can’t figure out how to hit lefties in a division that features Jon Lester, CC Sabathia and David Price, the Cardinals will win this trade.

Rasmus definitely needed a change of scenery, though, so he should be better off in the short run.

Cardinals Get: Edwin Jackson, SP

Jackson will be an upgrade in the Cardinals starting rotation.

The move allows Kyle McClellan to move back into the bullpen, where he has been a very reliable seventh-inning guy.

Jackson should slide into the third slot in the St. Louis rotation for the next couple years.

Grades

Blue Jays: C+

The Blue Jays get a solid young center fielder. However, he’s shown that he can’t hit lefties very well. That’s a problem in the AL East, where the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays each have strong left-handed hitters. The three relievers the Blue Jays received probably won’t amount to much.

Cardinals: B

The Cardinals upgraded their starting rotation and significantly improved their bullpen. They also solved their outfield rotation by adding a guy who will be fine with being the fourth outfielder. The trade makes the Cardinals strong contenders for the NL Central title.