A's Stock Up On Prospects in Holliday Deal

The first true blockbuster of the season happened today when the A's sent outfielder Matt Holliday to St. Louis for prospects Brett Wallace, Clayton Mortensen, and Shane Peterson. The Cardinals are mortgaging their future by giving up 3 good prospects, but they are also greatly increasing their chances of winning the NL Central. Holliday, who will be a free agent at the end of the year, has a .844 OPS, and will be a key producer for the Cardinals.

Oakland got a real bounty in exchange for Holliday (whom they gave up Carlos Gonzalez, Huston Street, and Greg Smith to get from the Rockies last year). Wallace, an advanced hitter, is one of the best prospects in the game. He was drafted 13th overall last year after a decorated career at Arizona State, which included back-to-back Pac-10 Triple Crowns and a trip to the College World Series. He jetted to Double-A in his '08 pro debut and was holding his own in the high minors this year. Wallace is limited defensively; while he played third for the Cardinals because of Albert Pujols, he'll be a 1B/DH for Oakland. Nevertheless, he's going to be a very valuable player because he has a sweet swing, plate discipline, and projects to hit for a high average with plus power.

I also like Mortensen and Peterson. Mortensen ranked as the Cards' #6 prospect in Baseball America coming into the year. A Gonzaga product, the 6-4 righthander uses a turbo 90-93 mph sinker to get groundouts by the bushel, and he also has a decent slider. He'll need to improve his command and changeup to be more effective. Mortensen, 24, has struggled in Triple-A this year, but he could develop into a mid-rotation starter or a setup man.

Peterson, like Wallace, will be a textbook A's player. He doesn't offer much defensively, but he usually controls the strike zone well and has a solid line-drive bat. The 21-year-old lefty swinger was a 2nd-round pick out of Long Beach State in last year's draft. Hitting .291/.361/.423 this year split between High A and Double-A, Peterson will need to hit for some more power to profile at a corner outfield spot or first base. He has a smooth swing and knows how to hit, though, so I like his chances to become a productive offense-first outfielder with a bit more experience.

Overall, I think this trade is pretty solid for both sides. While most of the focus will be on Holliday's impact with the Cardinals (he should propel them to the playoffs and be a great fit in St. Louis), the A's also got even more good prospects to go with their hauls from the Dan Haren, Rich Harden, Nick Swisher, and Joe Blanton and trades.