Hitting The Cutoff Man

Now that Jim Edmonds has signed a minor-league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers in an attempt to revive his career, he has for the second time aligned himself with a division of the St. Louis Cardinals, his former club. Edmonds also played for the Cubs in 2008 before finding himself out of work last season.

Of course, there’s nothing new about the Edmonds situation. There is very little “loyalty” between teams that don’t want to be stuck with players they don’t need and players who want to get the most money they can on the open market. It’s just how the game works, and it doesn't bother me much anymore.

But the Edmonds situation did get to me thinking about the first time I saw him wearing a Cubs uniform and how jarring that was. And it made me wonder: What would be the most bizarre or shocking marriages between a team and a current player?

Here’s what I came up with:

1. Derek Jeter, Red Sox. He’s the ultimate Yankee, so if this move happened (yeah, right), it would probably cause a riot in Times Square.

2. Albert Pujols, Cubs. He is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2011 season, so you never know. But it would be disturbing to see him in Cubbie blue.

3. Chipper Jones, Mets. He’s played his whole career for the division rival Braves and has been a particular thorn in the sides of Mets fans, who typically serenade him with chants of “Larry, Larry.”

I think it's telling about the fluid nature of team allegiance today that more didn't readily spring to my mind.

But for all the fans out there: What player wearing what uniform would seem particularly strange or "not right" to you?