It was 3 years ago today that the Jays traded Troy Glaus for Scott Rolen. At the time, as Hugo noted in his post on the trade, both the Jays and the Cardinals were getting rid of a player who was unhappy on his respective team. Both were aging, often injured players with large contracts who appeared to be on the decline.
After the trade, Glaus was with the Cardinals for 2 years, he had a great season in 2008, hitting 27 home runs and a WAR of 3.7. Then he missed most of 2009 with various injuries and left the Cardinals as a free agent. Last year he played with the Braves and he is currently a free agent.
Rolen, we all know, had a good season and a half with the Jays, becoming a fan favorite. Despite missing time with injuries, he accumulated a 7.3 WAR with the Jays before deciding he wanted out of Toronto. JP Ricciardi sent him off to the Reds for Zach Stewart, Edwin Encarnacion and Josh Roenicke starting the rebuilding of our minor league system.
It is a trade that Ricciardi won. Not only did we get better play out of Rolen but we were able to trade Rolen for some useful pieces while Glaus just left as a free agent, giving the Cards nothing in return. If Zach Stewart turns out, then the trade will look even better.