I guess this is a great example of that old adage, “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer”.
The Cleveland Indians have traded infielder Mark DeRosa to the St. Louis Cardinals for reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later.
DeRosa was hitting .270 with 13 homers and 50 RBIs this season while playing several infield positions and outfield.
DeRosa goes from the Indians, who have the worst record in the American League, to the Cardinals, who are tied with Milwaukee for first place in the National League Central.
DeRosa was all smiles when they broke the news to him.
“You want to hit the rewind button here,” DeRosa said of the Indians’ disappointing season. “From a selfish standpoint, I get to battle for a division title again and I’m in a good position with a great team.”
After helping the Cubs win the division last season, he will now attempt to do the same for St. Louis while filling in at a number of positions.
Why the Mets didn’t make a move on DeRosa is a mystery to me. Especially if the major component to the deal was a reliever prospect like Perez, who turns 24, on July 1, and had a 4.18 ERA in 29 appearances.
Surely, DeRosa could have been ours with a prospect like Eddie Kunz who is thriving in the minors or Bobby Parnell who throws even harder than Perez.
No team needed a utility infielder like Mark DeRosa more than the Mets did.
It’s a terrible missed opportunity, especially when you consider how little the Cardinals had to give up for a chance to strengthen their post season hopes.
It’s a winning move that will make a huge impact, just as the Manny Ramirez trade did last year for the Dodgers.
