Results tagged ‘ Mark DeRosa ’
DeRosa Staying In St. Louis?
Versatile INF/OF, Mark DeRosa, has had conversations with GM John Mozeliak about a possible extension with the Cardinals.
DeRosa was acquired in the later part of June from the Indians for Chris Perez and Jess Todd, both premier pitching prospects in the Cardinals farm system. Soon after coming over from Cleveland DeRosa found himself on the DL with an injured wrist, which will require surgery in the offseason.
Only hitting .245 and collecting 19 RBIs on his 8 homers in 48 games with the Birds. His versatility is a key with the way Manager Tony LaRussa fancies to fill out his lineup card, which makes him extremely valuable to LaRussa.
DeRosa, making $5.5 million this season, will most likely receive a raise if extended with the Cardinals. Mozeliak wants to see DeRosa stick around, but might lose a key contributor in the process: Ryan Ludwick.
Ludwick, injured part of the season, has played in 119 games for St. Louis and has managed to slug 20 homers and drive in 87 while keeping his average above the .270 marker. Although healthy, Ludwick doesn’t play every day with the plethora of outfielders available to LaRussa.
Mozeliak remains reluctant to offer Ludwick a deal that is more than a year long. Injuries have plagued Ludwick in the past, but he seems to have overcome the issues with his knees. An All-Star a year ago, Ludwick still is producing and protects Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday in the Cardinals lineup.
Mozeliak Walks Unfamiliar Territory Around Deadline
St. Louis Cardinal fans know their recent management has been somewhat timid to pull the trigger on a deal which people feel would put the team over the edge. G.M. John Mozeliak was not wanting to hesitate a moment after the talks with Oakland intensified about slugging outfielder Matt Holliday.
In late July the Cardinals swung a deal with Cleveland to obtain Mark DeRosa for Chris Perez and a player to be named. Just about a week ago news broke that Jess Todd, St. Louis’ best relief pitching prospect was the player to be named. With Ryan Franklin having a career year the Cardinals might be hoping to keep Franklin around with wishful thinking that he might’ve finally found that “closer stuff”.
Pitching Coach Dave Duncan saw his son dealt to the AL where he seems to be better suited. First basemen/Corner outfielder Chris Duncan was sent packing to Boston in a deal for Julio Lugo. Lugo, 33, was designated for assignment by the Red Sox earlier this month after he’d worn out his welcome. Red Sox G.M. Theo Epstein saw a perfect opportunity to rid themselves of Lugo and pick up a power bat that can play first or DH. Each team seemed to relive the other of a problem player, but Lugo was placed on the St. Louis big league roster, while Duncan was sent to Triple-A Pawtuckett.
Tony LaRussa has been keeping his team atop the NL Central, but the surging Cubs are getting healthy and starting to hit their stride. St. Louis was picked by many to finish in the middle of the pack for the division while the Cubs ran away with another Division Title. Mozeliak saw some areas where the Caridnals could improve and pounced, showing the signs of dedication to win which Albert Pujols wants if he’s going to stay in St. Louis.
More than likely the Cardinals aren’t going to be pulling any last minute deals before today’s 4 p.m. Eastern non-waiver trade deadline, but the deals that have been made already could be enough to help the Cardinals fight off the Cubs for the division or better yet, another team for the NL Pennant.
Greene Back To DL With Anxiety Issues
Constantly disabled Khalil Greene surged back from his DL stint earlier this month and homered in three straight games. Everyone thought the time off may have cured his disorder since the performance was there. Unfortunately, he’s not fully recovered from a disorder that most players don’t want to admit they have.
Many players through the years have had this problem, such as Zack Greinke, and he’s recently overcome a long battle and putting it all together for a stellar season. Greene’s replacement on the shelf came as a surprise, but then again, he was playing third, a position the Cardinals just acquired in Mark DeRosa.
Hopefully, Khalil can get back on track which would be great for the Cardinals. He’s shown signs of solidity when he had his best season in San Diego. Brendan Ryan has been playing a great shortstop defensively for the Cardinals while swinging a pretty consistent stick. I truly hope Khalil can get his issue treated, and wish him the best. Good luck Khalil.
DeRosa Deal Done, Joins Cardinals
Just as many suspected, the Cardinals were quietly looking for a constant at third base. It’d been rumored that Garret Atkins was a possibility, as well as Mark DeRosa. Tony LaRussa didn’t feel like waiting til the July trading deadline neared as he wanted the trigger pulled on the deal before July could even come around. DeRosa mentioned that he suspected something could’ve been up since he was held out of the lineup on Saturday night. The Cardinals and fans were happy something was up and welcomed him to a standing ovation on Sunday as soon as he buttoned up his uniform (minus the two top buttons of the uniform he never finds).
St. Louis had been in talks with Cleveland for a short while, wetting their appetites with flame-throwing right hander Chris Perez, 23, who was thought to be first in line for the closers role at the start of this season. Perez had lost weight in the offseason, but struggled early in the season. Cleveland had hopes of competing in the AL Central and getting back to the playoffs as they did in 2007. The Indians acquired DeRosa in the offseason hoping he’d be part of the missing piece they needed to get to the next level, but had failed to meet expectations (31-46, 5th in the AL Central).
The Birds possesed a surplus of right-handed relief pitching and with Jason Motte appearing to pass up Chris Perez in the depth chart, it made Perez expendable. Cleveland needs all the help they can get to bolster a meak pen, which made Chris exciting to them. Afterall, Perez has power stuff, and is very young. The deal will also send a player to be named to cleveland, which will be chosen later in the year from a list of players the Cardinals and Indians agreed upon.
Acquiring DeRosa not only gives the Cardinals an option at third base, but bolsters the versatility of their club. In his first game in St. Louis De Rosa played left, and showed off his glove making a tumbling catch. DeRosa shows that the Cardinals fully believe they are in it to win it this year, and shows commitment to winning. Upon finalizing the deal, General Manager John Mozeliak was asked if this will nullify any other deals the Cardinals could make before the trade deadline. Mozeliak didn’t comment.
A battle for first place in the division is in full swing with Milwaukee as the Cardinals and Brewers are deadlocked atop the division. Cincinnati is surprisingly sitting at 2.5 games back. Brad Thompson mans the bump for the Cardinals tonight against San Francisco ace Tim Lincecum. Look for DeRosa to be the impact player the Cardinals are hoping him to be.
Cardinals Need Consitencty At Hot Corner
With powerhouse slugger Troy Glaus on the DL since the start of the 2009 season, the Cardinals have struggled to find any sort of offensive consistency from third base. Early in the season the Birds tried a platoon of Brian Barden, David Freese, and Joe Thurston which didn’t have the same impact as a bat like Glaus. Manager Tony LaRussa has yet to name a starter, but it’s clear that Thurston has won LaRussa over based on the playing time he’s received.
Uncertainty surrounds the return of Glaus, who blasted 27 homers and drove in 99 runs behind Albert Pujols. Glaus provided a protection that was imminent in Albert’s production, as well as Ryan Ludwick, but other than Pujols the offense has sputtered. The Cardinals should look to a team who is looking to deal a third-basemen that can hit with some power to protect Fat Albert. Cleveland’s Mark DeRosa would be a great fit in St. Louis. DeRosa has a flare for the dramatic and can play multiple positions at a very high level. Not to mention he can rake. If Arizona feels they want to dismantle a little of their roster, Mark Reynolds would also be a nice fit for the Cardinals. He provides a power, the defense is somewhat shaky, but he’s young which is an upside. Colorado could provide Garret Atkins as long as they don’t have double-digit win streaks anymore. Atkins is a proven power but, is somewhat prone to the strikeout, but plays pretty solid defense and would be an upgrade from the inconsistency the Cardinals are dealing with now.
It’s only a matter of time before teams start to give Pujols one hittable pitch a game, if that. With teams not afraid to pitch to any other player in the lineup, the Cardinals desperately need someone to fill the void of “the protector.” Hopefully, sooner the team will look to acquire someone sooner rather than later.
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