Cards Trade for DeRosa

Many Cardinal fans got their wish tonight, as General Manager John Mozeliak pulled the trigger on a deal with the Cleveland Indians.

The Cardinals get third baseman Mark DeRosa in exchange for reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later.

DeRosa, a 6’1″ right-hander, brings his .270 batting average and 13 home runs over to a Cardinal lineup that is in desperate need of a boost.  Although a career .278 hitter, DeRosa has put up a much better average for the past three seasons.  His 21 homers last season was a career high, but he’s on pace for more this year.  Check out all of his career numbers here.

Listed as a third baseman, DeRosa is really very versatile, capable of playing all over the diamond.  That’s just the kind of player Tony La Russa loves to have on his club.

On the other side, the young Chris Perez was easy to like.  He had a very live arm, with his fastball usually in the mid to upper 90s. Many had him pegged as the Cardinal closer of the future.

We won’t know who the player to be named later is until, well, later.  But I can’t imagine it being one of the team’s best prospects.  In the PTBNL deals the Cards have made in recent memory, none were guys that we wish we had back now.

Overall, I like the deal.  You’ve got to give something to get something, and that’s exactly what Mo did here.  The Cards take on a bit more payroll, but the roster left plenty of room for that kind of flexibility.

I’m anxious to see DeRosa wearing the Birds on the Bat, and can’t wait to see his reception at Busch.