"Up to bat this inning for the Phillies: Chase Utley, ALBERT PUJOLS, Jayson Werth"

[charlie and algernon]

Phillies GM Amaro denies swap talks

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4994845

It's the sort of thing that is much more likely to happen in fantasy baseball than in real life, but according to sources, an idea has been kicked around the Phillies' organization internally, with discussions about proposing a swap of slugger Ryan Howard for St. Louis superstar Albert Pujols.

It's not fully clear whether the Phillies actually have approached the Cardinals with the idea, and even if St. Louis were to seriously consider such an offer, executives with the Cardinals would have to swallow very hard before dealing Pujols, a player widely regarded as the best in the sport.

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro flatly denied that the internal discussions have taken place. "Lies," he said. "That's a lie. I don't know who you're talking to, but that's a lie."

The talk may well echo, in the end, another blockbuster deal that was discussed but never consummated many years ago: Executives of the Red Sox and Yankees once famously discussed a trade of Ted Williams for Joe DiMaggio.

The logic for a Howard for Pujols swap, as discussed within the Phillies' organization, could fall along these lines: Pujols, 30 years old, is eligible for free agency after the 2011 season, and early conversations about a contract extension have not led to any long-term deal. The expectation within baseball is that Pujols may ask for a deal that would rival, in annual value, the record-setting 10-year, $275 million deal that Alex Rodriguez negotiated with the Yankees in fall 2007.


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So any guess as to how much of St. Louis would be burned to the ground if Pujols were traded? Methinks the baseball department at ESPN felt they needed more attention with all focus on college basketball.