Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals received Marvin Johnson from…
Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals received Marvin Johnson from Green Bay Packers, giving up Don Coleman. The Cardinals received Marvin Johnson. His inclusion makes this a balanced veteran exchange, and the available outcome supports the same C grade rather than a stronger win-or-loss call. That return supports a C grade for Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals. The final verdict is Even Trade.
Arizona Cardinals Received
- player Marvin Johnson
Green Bay Packers Received
- player Don Coleman
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Green Bay acquired Don Coleman from the Cardinals for Marvin Johnson around September 1-2, 1954. Player and transaction histories agree on the exchange despite a one-day date variance. Coleman’s parenthetical suffix is removed because it is not part of his supported historical name. The useful hindsight question is therefore narrow: what value did each club receive from the documented assets, and how much weight should be placed on the parts of the return that can be followed with confidence?
Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals Return
The Cardinals received Marvin Johnson. His inclusion makes this a balanced veteran exchange, and the available outcome supports the same C grade rather than a stronger win-or-loss call. The grade stays proportional to the size of the deal. This was not a transaction that should be inflated by unrelated later roster moves, so the evaluation centers on the player service or draft value that flowed directly from the exchange.
Green Bay Packers Return
Green Bay received Don Coleman in a direct player swap. The return provided roster value but no clearly documented long-term advantage large enough to separate the sides, so the Packers remain at C. The same standard applies on this side: credit only what can reasonably be tied to the incoming assets, and do not manufacture extra value from an uncertain downstream path. That keeps the comparison grounded in the actual exchange rather than in broader team history.
Value in Hindsight
This was a relatively modest transaction, so the grade spread should reflect the scale of the assets. Veteran-for-veteran swaps, late-round choices, and cash considerations can matter without becoming franchise-changing events. When a later pick identity is known, it helps clarify the result; when one detail remains uncertain, the judgment should stop at the strongest supported description instead of pretending the record is more precise than it is.
Final Verdict
The final call is Even Trade. Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals receives C, while Green Bay Packers receives C. Those grades reflect the direct football value of the package and the quality of the traceable outcome. Where the returns are close, the marks stay close; where one side clearly turned its asset into more useful value, the separation is larger without overstating the importance of a smaller trade.