Khalil Greene Headed to Cardinals Via Trade

The Cardinals must have been lost without their small, white, below-average everyday shortstop last season, because they are in the process of acquiring another. In fairness, David Eckstein and Khalil Greene are totally different players. The one thing they have in common is that neither is good.

Regardless, it's no secret that Padres general manager Kevin Towers has been trying to deal Greene this offseason, in addition to the much higher profile Jake Peavy. In the St. Louis Cardinals he has found his suitor. The Padres are reportedly going to receive pitching in return, but no specific names have been mentioned as of this writing.

Greene has decent to good power -- 27 home runs in '07, but never more than 15 in any other year -- but his on-base history is pathetic. His OBP has only exceeded .300 twice in five seasons, with a high of .320.

Last year was quite the futile season for Greene. He hit .213, with an abysmal .260 OBP. He struck out 100 times in only 389 at-bats, and then he broke his hand with a frustrated clubhouse punch.

On the flip-side, he is a good defensive player, and at age 29 there is still time for him to fulfill his promise. Plus, he's an upgrade from Cesar Izturis.