Nick Greenwood (Padres)
Jake Westbrook (Indians)
When I heard about the three-way deal among San Diego, St. Louis and Cleveland, two thoughts ran through my head: Trading Ryan Ludwick doesn't seem to make sense, but acquiring Westbrook does. The Cardinals won't need to impart any new philosophies on this pitcher—he's a heavy user of both their favorite pitches.
Dave Duncan's newest advanced pupil throws a sinker (91) and a cutter (86), along with a change-up (80) and a curveball (80). As you'd expect, Westbrook is a groundball machine. He also doesn't walk or strike out many batters, but moving to baseball's weakest division will make pitching to contact a lot more fun for the former Indian.
Greenwood is another groundball pitcher. He's left-handed and just 22 years old. He's pitching in the Midwest League, but may not be far from moving to Advanced-A. He doesn't strike out a lot of hitters, but he's very stingy with the walks. What I can find about Greenwood (mostly via scout.com) isn't surprising—he's not a hard thrower, throws sinkers, change-ups and curveballs. Like Westbrook, Greenwood's acquisition is consistent with the St. Louis approach to pitching.
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