The most fascinating aspect of the Jake Westbrook-Ryan Ludwick trade is how two teams assigned completely different values to the same players. The Padres preferred Ludwick to Westbrook. The Cardinals preferred Westbrook to Ludwick. Yet the three-team deal that also included the Indians made sense for each team involved. Judging from local media reactions in each city, the trade is toughest to sell in St. Louis, and understandably so: The Cardinals’ offense largely has performed below expectations, and subtracting Ludwick won’t help. Still, the Cardinals had their reasons for preferring a starting pitcher to a hitter. The decision to turn over right field to Jon Jay, whose major-league resume essentially consists of one hot month, was only part of the equation. But first, some background. Interviews with executives from each of the three clubs and others about the trade produced a number of revelations: Read more: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/jake-westbrook-trade-works-for-everyone-080210
