MLB Trade Deadline: Breaking Down the Panic Trade of Colby Rasmus

Early this afternoon, ESPN's Buster Olney reported that the Blue Jays had swapped Edwin Jackson, Marc Rzepczynski, Octavio Dotel and Corey Patterson to the Cardinals for Colby Rasmus, Trever Miller, Brian Tallet and P.J. Walters. This came on the heels of the Blue Jays acquiring Jackson from the White Sox for Jason Frasor and prospect Zach Stewart.

The relationship between Cardinals skipper and icon Tony LaRussa and the talented but mercurial Rasmus has been tumultuous, to say the least.

Over the past calendar year reports have swirled regarding Rasmus' attitude, demeanor, and work ethic, and just yesterday LaRussa stated that he "'doesn't listen' to the team's coaches."

LaRussa also stated that he "doesn't listen to the Cardinal coaches much now, and that's why he gets in these funks, in my opinion. If he would just stay with [basically] what they teach, he would have...but I actually feel concern for him, because he hears it from so many places, he's got to be confused."

The last portion of the statement appears to be a jab at Rasmus' relationship with his father, who has been outspoken about Rasmus' place on the team.

To be fair, we cannot possibly know what has gone on behind closed doors. It seems most likely that neither LaRussa nor Rasmus is innocent, but it would be inappropriate and ill-informed to leap to a more fleshed-out conclusion.

With that in mind, let's examine what we do know about Colby Rasmus:

1. He'll be 25 on August 11
2. He's batting .246/.332/.420 with 11 HR and 5 SB - good for a 111 wRC+
3. He batted .276/.361/.498 with 23 HR and 12 SB in 2010, good for a 129 wRC+
4. He's been the sixth best CF in baseball over the past two seasons, in terms of wRC+
5. Most defensive metrics, save UZR, view him as an average to slightly above-average CF
6. He's under team control through 2014

In my mind, Rasmus is a well above-average player, with potential to be a star (should he find consistent playing time and a more welcoming environment). At 25, it seems fairly likely that he could improve, or at least re-establish 2010 as his baseline as he gains experience.

For this, the Cardinals acquired two-plus months of Edwin Jackson, two-plus months of Octavio Dotel, two-plus months of Corey Patterson and four years of Marc Rzepczynski.

When 2012 roles around, it is entirely possible that the haul will be limited to Rzepczynski and two compensation round picks for Jackson and Dotel (who isn't a lock for Type-B status).

Does that seem like the sort of package worthy of Rasmus, even if we assume his 2011 incarnation is his baseline heading forward?

It seems as if the Cardinals hit the panic button in this instance.

LaRussa's unwillingness to give Rasmus consistent playing time, coupled with his overzealous bashing of the young center fielder, was more than enough to torpedo his value, and the front office did not seem willing to force LaRussa's hand to recoup whatever may have been lost.

Yes, a thick-headed and uncooperative player can be very difficult to deal with, but it appears that LaRussa's reputation for combativeness did not help the situation.