I gotta believe that if this happens the Cards are stealing one!
http://rumormill.mlblogs.com/
Rumor: Cardinals and Tigers Strike Deal
Detroit radio is reporting that a deal between the two World Series teams is imminent The deal that is being reported would send Mike Maroth and Marcus Thames to the Cardinals in exchange for Juan Encarnacion and Braden Looper.
This rumor makes quite a bit of sense as both Maroth and Encarnacion have been rumored to be on their way out from their respective teams. Maroth, who went 5-2 with a 4.19 ERA as a starter for the Tigers would give the Cardinals the left handed starter they've not had since Mark Mulder went on the DL. He'd also be the cheap, inning eating pitcher the Cardinals have gravitated to in recent years.
Looper went 9-3 for the Cardinals, with an ERA of 3.56 in 69 relief appearances and would bolster the Tigers' fairly deep bullpen. The swap of Thames and Encarnacion would likely not greatly affect either club as the players are so similar. Thames hit .256 with 26 home runs and 60 runs driven in while Encarnacion batted .278 with 19 HR and 79 RBI. Encarnacion performed slightly better than Thames but has reportedly fueded with Cardinal management over playing time during the playoffs.
As always, I'll keep you updated as the situation unfolds and provide links as they become available.