News reports out of St. Louis have the Cardinals shipping gold glove center fielder Jim Edmonds to the San Diego Padres for minor league third basemen David Freese. Cash is also reportedly part of the deal but there's no word how much will change hands. This is essentially a salary dump for the Cardinals, however it was reported earlier this week that the Padres would only be interested if the Cardinals paid a portion of the $8 million owed to Edmonds for the final year of his contract.

The move also allows (or forces) the Cardinals to become younger in a hurry. With Edmonds gone, the Cards' outfield will likely consist of Chis Duncan, Rick Ankiel, and either Rule 5 draftee Brian Barton or highly touted prospect Colby Rasmus.

Update: Looks like it's a done deal. The Post Dispatch now has the story but still no word on how much cash is changing hands. If it's much more than 1 million I think the Cardinals lost big on this one.

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