Last night the Cardinals acquired the guy every one knew they wanted, Mark DeRosa, from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for “close of the future” Chris Perez and the always infamous “Player to be Named Later” (aka PTBNL).
For quick bites of analysis, we turn to Punching Kitty favorite Bernie Miklasz (via Twitter):
Overall thoughts on the trade?
@miklasz: I’ve been a DeRosa advocate so I love the move. His bat, versatility, ability to hit LH and clubhouse class make this a good deal.
@miklasz: The Cardinals dealt from surplus – they have a good supply of young RH relievers – so this does not weaken the present or near future.
@miklasz: The Cardinals also blocked teams who apparently coveted DeRosa including the Cubs Mets Braves and Giants to mention a few.
The Cardinals management finally added a guy for Tony who has been waiting for about 2 years now, he has to be pleased right?
@miklasz: DeRosa is an ideal guy for La Russa who gets lots of mileage out of multiple position players.
@miklasz: LaRussa wanted to see ownership and mgmt be proactive and try to help the team win now. He will be pleased.
@miklasz: LaRussa and Duncan are big fans of Motte, not as much Perez. To me this trade also increases the likelihood that TLR will sign on again.
…and about that PTBNL?
[@miklasz][9]: I am pretty sure the quality of the player to be named later is tied into whether the Cardinals sign DeRosa to stay beyond this season.
Lastly, what about those Matt Holiday rumors?
[@miklasz][10]: Holliday ceased to be an option after Oakland would not come off a demand of a package that included last year’s No. 1 pick Brett Wallace.
[9]: I am pretty sure the quality of the player to be named later is tied into whether the Cardinals sign DeRosa to stay beyond this season [10]: http://twitter.com/miklasz/status/2367310877