OF Jim Edmonds traded to Cincinnati Reds by Milwaukee Brewers for OF Chris Dickerson

In a surprising waiver trade today, the Milwaukee Brewers sent former longtime St. Louis Cardinals' OF Jim Edmonds to the Cincinnati Reds for OF Chris Dickerson. Edmonds, 40, has truly been one of the greater stories in baseball this season.

After compiling an amazing resume (seriously, check it out) with the California/Anaheim Angels and Cardinals, Edmonds spent 2008 with the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs before taking the 2009 season off. A dynamic player who combined stellar defense with great hitting, Edmonds was a great talent in his prime years.

It appeared as though Edmonds was done, as injuries and age had taken their toll on Edmonds' play since the 2006 season. Nonetheless, Edmonds was willing to give it the ol' college try and received a minor league contract with an invitation as a non-roster player to spring training by the Milwaukee Brewers prior to the 2010 season.

Many thought Edmonds wouldn't make the team out of spring training and would retire if sent to the minors.

It wasn't the case.

Edmonds put on a show in spring training and made the Brewers' major league club out of spring training. This season, while spending time in CF, RF, and 1B, Edmonds has been a bench player for the Brewers. He's battled Achilles tendon issues recently, always a scary topic, but Edmonds has posted a .286 batting average with 8 home runs and 20 RBIs in 73 games this season; not too bad for an old guy who missed the entire 2009 season huh? He'll head to the surprising and exciting first place Reds, who, ironically, are playing the Cardinals. Edmonds is without a doubt excited.

“Coming right in here to play the Cardinals, it is going to be a little nuts,” said Edmonds. “I’m looking forward to the challenge and I appreciate the respect I have from the guys on this team. I’ve played against them for so many years and this seems like a real good group of guys that is really talented. I’m just coming here to help out with some veteran leadership, play when I can and help the guys try to win.

“My Achilles tendon is still sore, but I’m dealing with it. I’ve talked to Walt about it and both he and Dusty know about it,” Edmonds added. As far as being accepted in Cincinnati, Edmonds said, “As long as it isn’t as bad as it was in Chicago, I’ll be fine. The media killed me there until I hit my first home run.

“I love hitting in this park, love to play here,” he said. “They have great fans and it’s a good city. I don’t care about playing time. I just want to play when I can and help out - whether it’s pinch-hitting or playing every day or playing two days a week. All I care about is playing a little bit and helping out.”

(hat tip to the Dayton Daily News' Hal McCoy)

In return, Cincinnati will send Dickerson, a 28 year-old left handed hitting outfielder who was ranked the Reds' 11th best prospect prior to 2009 by Baseball America. He's made contributions in the major leagues, seeing playing time in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He's got a solid bat without much power, hitting .304 with 6 home runs and .275 with 2 home runs in 2008 and 2009, respectively, but struggled with hand issues in 2010, hitting just .222 before being sent to Triple-AAA on a rehab assignment. He's caught absolute fire during his rehab stint, hitting .442 in 13 games with 3 home runs.

It's a really good trade for the Reds, who acquire Edmonds, a player who could greatly help them on their stretch run, for Dickerson, a player who will never see full playing time in their outfield.