Glossing over the Birds deal

The Cardinals - Blue Jays straight swap of injury-plagued 3rd basemen in the offseason sent Troy Glaus to St. Louis and Scott Rolen to Toronto. To this point, Glaus has delivered more only because Rolen missed time at the beginning the year. Here's their numbers through the first third of the season:

Troy Glaus: .269, 20 R, 4 HR, 34 RBI, 0 SB (193 AB)
Scott Rolen: .310, 16 R 2 HR 20 RBI 4 SB (129 AB)

Project them out over the rest of the year, and Rolen dominates every single category. It's not necessarily a loss for the Cardinals, however, as Rolen and manager Tony La Russa had their differences. At the same time, production is production, and Rolen is winning the war at this point. He might be the Blue Jays' offensive MVP this year.

Fantasy Impact: Rolen is older than Glaus (33 and 31 respectively), but he's also better than Glaus. He always has been better. Glaus owns more career homers, but Rolen's career batting average is about 27 points higher, and he still can run, stealing over 100 bases for his career.

Prior a shell of former self

Mark Prior will undergo another surgery on his ailing right shoulder, missing his second full season. This comes as little or no surprise considering the 27-year-old hasn't pitched in the big leagues since August of 2006.

Fantasy Impact: Most people were cautious with Prior to begin the year; managers drafted him late or left him alone. At this point questions must be raised as to whether Prior will ever be the pitcher he once was. Another valid question: will he ever pitch again?

100 for Johan

For those who say Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens, Tom Glavine and, perhaps, Randy Johnson will be the last pitchers to win 300 games, Johan Santana is quickly building a stockpile of wins that makes him a candidate for the elite club.

Santana won his 100th game Sunday against the Dodgers, an impressive number he's only in his sixth season as a full-time starter. Over the last five years he won 70 games, so if he continues to win at the same rate, Santana will earn 240 victories by the time he is 39 years old. Maddux, Clemens, Glavine and Johnson all pitched or are pitching well into their 40s.

Fantasy Impact: Santana is on his way to a very special career. While his gaudy numbers have come back to the pack ever so slightly in the past couple of seasons, he's still one of the top starters in baseball if not the premier ace. He'll need longevity to reach 300, a mark that is as much about durability as it is simply ability.