The St. Louis Cardinals traded right handed relief pitcher Chris Perez and a player to be named later to the struggling Cleveland Indians for third baseman Mark De Rosa. DeRosa was a key player for the Cubs last year and Perez was once
considered for the closer’s role.
In 29 games this year Perez was 1-1 with a 4.18 ERA, 30 strikeouts and 15 walks in 23 2/3 innings. He just wasn’t cutting it as far as the Cardinals were concerned. DeRosa solves the problem at third base. Plus, if Troy Glaus would come back, DeRosa can play the outfield, second base, and even first base if needed. Then they could always dump Chris Duncan.
For some time, I have been praising Mark DeRosa. Here’s an excerpt from an article I wrote on June 3rd, wondering if the Cards would part with Brad Thompson.
There was a rumor awhile back that the Cleveland Indians were looking for pitching and would be willing to deal Mark DeRosa, a versatile player who can handle three infield spots and the corner outfield positions. The only issue is would the Cardinals be willing to take on DeRosa’s hefty contract and would LaRussa be in favor of getting rid of his swing man?
At the time, I believed the Cards may have traded Brad Thompson, but Perez is the pitcher that goes.
DeRosa, acquired by Cleveland in the off season from the Chicago Cubs, is batting .270 with 13 homers and 50 RBI in 71 games. As a matter of fact, many Cub fans have been writing on blogs and into cubs.com asking about the possibilities of getting DeRosa back. He was such a big asset for the Cubs, I was surprised to see them trade him away, even with his high salary that is over $5 million. In the Cubs’ quick two exits from the playoffs, DeRosa hit .333 in each playoff series against Arizona and L.A.
Cardinal fans, pay close attention to this trade. DeRosa will make a huge impact for this team. He could be the piece that pushes the Cardinals ahead of Milwaukee.
