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.

More All-Star roster changes

- Pitchers Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers and Andrew Bailey of the Oakland Athletics were added to the American League All-Star Team. Due to Major League Baseball's new All-Star Game rule where a pitcher who pitches on a Sunday is ineligible to pitch, the duo was added to the roster to replace CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees and Trevor Cahill of the Oakland Athletics, who both pitched Sunday. Verlander, who is 11-5 with a 3.82 ERA and 110 strike outs, becomes a three-time All-Star, while Bailey, who has 17 saves and a 1.75 ERA, makes the team for the second time.

- Jason Heyward's replacement has been announced. Hong-Chih Kuo, a relief pitcher from the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been chosen. Kuo, who has a 1.03 ERA out of the Dodgers bullpen, makes the team for the first time and is the first Taiwanese born player to be an All-Star. National League manager Charlie Manuel of the Philadelphia Phillies originally selected Billy Wagner, closer of the Atlanta Braves, to take Heyward's spot, but he declined due to the lingering effects of a sore ankle. Kuo will be the Dodgers' third representative.

- Outfielder Corey Hart of the Milwaukee Brewers will start in right field for the National League All-Star team in place of the injured Heyward. Hart, who originally made the team as a reserve, is hitting .288 with 21 home runs and 65 RBIs on the season. It's Hart's second All-Star selection and his first year as a starter. Hart has been the subject of recent trade rumors, as the Brewers and San Francisco Giants have been trying to put together a deal. So while Hart is a Brewers All-Star, he could end up in black and orange by the trade deadline.

That's all the All-Star news so far today. Tomorrow I will have the final rosters up for both teams after all the moves are said and done. If your not doing anything, check out the Futures Game on ESPN. It's exciting and is a great chance to see future stars from the minors.

Giants talking trade with Brewers for OF Corey Hart

According to MLBTradeRumors as well as Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Giants are exploring a trade for Milwaukee Brewers' All-Star right fielder Corey Hart.

The Giants, who are somewhat offensively struggled, have been scouting the Brewers extensively of late for, what many thought to be, a trade for All-Star first baseman Prince Fielder. Hart is signed through 2011, so the Giants would not just have him as a rental player, but as a player for the future. Hart, 28, is currently at .288 with 19 home runs and 61 RBI through 75 games this season while making the NL All-Star team for the second time in his career.

Last week, the Giants completed a trade that sent catcher Bengie Molina to the Texas Rangers for RHP Chris Ray and a player to be named later, freeing up salary space on the roster for a big acquisition.

The cost for Hart would be great however. The Giants would likely have to give up at least a top prospect such as catcher Tommy Joseph, who is now blocked by Buster Posey, or LHP Dan Runzler. Either way, a trade for Hart by the Giants would be a great move for their playoff push.

Quick updates (UPDATE: Lakers win, advance to finals!, Hawks take Game 1 of Stanley Cup Finals)

Hey guys, don't have much time. Sorry for the lack of posts today and possibly tomorrow, I was in the city today and I'll be back there tomorrow for the Yankees game.

Yankees fall to Indians 13-11
Embarrassing, Joba needs to go.

Mets losing to Brewers 8-6 in the 8th inning

Roy Halladay threw the 2nd perfect game this year, beating the Marlins 1-0.
Seriously, who else would you expect?

The Lakers currently lead the Suns 73-61 in the beginning of the 3rd quarter.
The Lakers are looking to clinch to face the Celtics in the finals for the 2nd time in 3 years.
UPDATE: Lakers win 111-103 :D yay!

Hawks beat the Flyers 6-5 in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Again, sorry for the lacking of these posts! Everything should be back to normal come Monday!