Rolen?

Rumors persist about a trade with the Cardinals, with the key pieces being Scott Rolen from the Cardinals and Chris Capuano from the Brewers. The rumors are coming from various sources, including Buster Olney, Ken Rosenthal (Fox), and Tom Haudricourt acknowledged it in one of his recent blog postings.

What do we think about that trade, if it goes down?

Clearly, he'd be an upgrade defensively at 3B. Of course, any 3B in the league would be an upgrade. He also apparently hates Tony LaRussa, so he'd probably appreciate playing for Milwaukee given how the last series between the two teams went.

But can he stay healthy? Will the Cardinals eat some of his remaining contract? (He has 3 years and something like $36 million left on his deal). Will Braun be OK moving to LF? What happens to LaPorta in that situation? Does Braun go to RF and Hart in CF when LaPorta is ready?

Finally, does anyone else think that Capuano could end up being a thorn in the Brewers' side if he pitches for St. Louis? I'm not ready to give up on him yet - I really think that a lot of the bitching about Estrada came down to his ability to work with Cappy. Perhaps a fresh start with a new catcher would do him some good.

All things considered, I'd support the trade if St. Louis would take on some of the remaining contract. I think he's worth the injury risk, and the Brewers have lots of starting pitching. I could see Capuano flourishing in a new situation, but perhaps we get Rolen to play hard for a year or two until he gets irritated about something and wants out of Milwaukee (that's been his M.O. over the years, first in Philly and now in St. Louis). The defense he'd bring would be worth it - suddenly that's a pretty good left side of the infield with Rolen and Hardy. Plus he's a veteran bat with a good on-base % (.372 over his career). His power numbers are down, but this team doesn't need 35 bombs from him.

This might be the lineup if this goes through:

Weeks
Hardy
Braun
Prince
Rolen
Hart
Hall
Kendall
P

Not the worst.