Alright, it's Time Already...

Oh, the rumors are everywhere...Apparently, on the Buck Martinez morning show on XM Radio this morning, Buck went over the Left Field situation for the Cardinals. He said that Duncan deserves a shot to start in LF after an impressive Spring. Then, after his morning buzz wore off, he said that the Cardinals have been dangling Marquis infront of the Nationals for Alfonso Soriano. He said he expected some big news from the Cardinals before they break camp.
Now, I wouldn't trust Buck Martinez to tie my shoes. I think the guy managed horribly during the WBC and I'm not sure how good he is at procuring information from GMs around the league. I would guess that he's not the insider that Peter Gammons or someone like Steve Phillips would be (this, in no way, is an endorsement of either).
I don't think Walt would make this move. It's too big of a move at this point in the season. Walt is known to make deals before camp breaks, but they are little deals involving not that much money.
Also, I don't see LF being the real problem here. So Taguchi will fill in nicely for Bigbie while he is recovering. He has for the past few years and I can't think of a reason why he wouldn't be able to do so again. The real problem is Second Base. The news has come out that Encarnacion will be probably be batting second. I know, I almost puked when I saw this too, but Tony likes pop out of the 2-spot. My confidence in Encarnacion keeps wavering. He is moving from Florida, a notorious pitcher's park, and I think his offensive production might jump a little. That said, I still don't think that he is right for the two slot in the batting order.
So, what now? I still think that Tony Graffanino is the guy we need to pick-up. Don't get me wrong-I would love Soriano to play 2B for the Cardinals. I think Jose Oquendo could do wonders for his defense. And, if he starts acting up, his Dominican friend Albert would crush him with forearms that are bigger than Soriano's torso. I just don't see Walt making a huge deal like this, involving the kind of money here, before camps break. Graffanino would be more of a Walt-type move at this point and I think he would fill in as a second baseman and two-man in the order perfectly. Just to let you know my feelings on a Soriano-for-Marquis trade known: If I saw that trade scroll across the ticker on ESPN, I would drop whatever I was doing, put on a suit (I don't know why I would put a suit on, but roll with me here), go to my favorite bar in Chicago and just start buying rounds for everyone that was in the place. I am talking shots, Jager-bombs, whatever. I would love Soriano in the order, and he has the pop that Tony so desires in the second spot in the order. Defense my ass. A 30-30 guy, maybe even a 40-40 guy in this lineup would be a dream. Defense talks, 40-40 walks.
Although I have trashed Buck Martinez earlier in this post, I do think that he is right in saying that there should be some news involving a trade or pick-up before camp breaks. Walt will take care of us. He's too good not to. I'm not too sure about this team unless something gets done. I want someone that can play second base, bat second, and let Juan Encarnacion bat sixth, where he belongs. Look for Graffanino to be Cardinal by March 30-31. That's the move Walt can and will make.