The Cardinals players had the day off, Monday, but the front office was hard at work. In the end, St. Louis executives worked out a deal just eight minutes away from the end of the trade deadline.

The trade didn’t cost the team a major leaguer, instead, they sent minor league pitching prospect Rich Scalamandre to the Braves organization in exchange for reliever Jorge Sosa. The move comes just a day after the Cards traded Hector Luna to the Indians for second baseman Ronnie Belliard.

Sosa has struggled much of this season after enjoying a good year last season. St. Louis hopes Sosa will be able to make some mechanical changes under the tutelage of pitching coach Dave Duncan. Sosa is a flexible option to have on the staff; he’s started, relieved, and closed games in his career with the Braves.

Related web sites:
Cardinals Official Website