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Cardinals Acquire Mark DeRosa

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SUNDAY, 11:15am: Jon Paul Morosi has written about a couple possible PTBNLs for the Indians:

"One official with knowledge of the transaction said minor league right-handers Jess Todd and Francisco Samuel are on the list of possibilities. It's not known if other players are on the list agreed upon by the clubs. But Todd and Samuel are hard throwers who could fit into Cleveland's bullpen next year. And anyone who has watched the Indians play recently is aware that they have an immediate need for power arms at the end of the game."

Morosi notes Todd has a 2.73 ERA in 28 Triple-A appearances with one big league game this season. The PTBNL will be received on or before September 1.

SATURDAY, 9:58pm: According to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince, the Cardinals have acquired Mark DeRosa from the Indians for reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later.

DeRosa, 34, wasn't in tonight's lineup though this was supposedly a "standard day off," according to Castrovince. DeRosa posted a .270/.342/.457 line in 314 plate appearances for the Indians and is making $5.5MM in the final year of his contract (about $2.9MM remains). He's been the subject of rumors for weeks, and it looks like the Indians are officially sellers.

Perez turns 24 soon.  He posted a 4.18 ERA and 30/15 K/BB ratio for the Cardinals in 23.2 innings this year. He was one of the Cardinals' top relief prospects and profiles as a future closer.

It's a little early to make a final judgment on this deal until we find out who the PTNBL is–Castrovince notes that "the PTBN component is an important one," according to Indians GM Mark Shapiro–but for now it looks like a solid deal for both teams, as they each fill in their respective needs.

Renck’s Latest: Hawkins, Saito, Spilborghs, Atkins

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In his latest article, the Denver Post's Troy E. Renck has a few Rockies footnotes worth discussing:

  • Renck suggests the Rockies should aggressively pursue LaTroy Hawkins if the Astros drop in the standings.
  • Takashi Saito is another option. He has dominated in the NL West and the Red Sox like Ryan Spilborghs. He also notes the Tigers and Phillies have expressed interest in Spilborghs, as Ken Rosenthal said earlier this month.
  • Renck lists the Braves, Cardinals, and Mets as potential fits for Garrett Atkins, but Renck adds that his "$4 million in remaining salary is prohibitive."

Cardinals Pursuing Matt Holliday

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SATURDAY, 7:05pm: Peter Gammons tweets (account protected) that any discussions would have to start with Brett Wallace, as the A's don't need to trade Holliday.

FRIDAY, 11:13pm: The Cardinals are "redoubling efforts to acquire" Matt Holliday, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Strauss says the Cards have warmed to the idea of offering a multiplayer package.  They were previously reluctant to send a Ryan Ludwick-fronted package to Colorado in November.  Strauss believes that the Cardinals would now probably be willing to offer Ludwick, one of Jason Motte, Chris Perez, and Kyle McClellan, and a prospect to Holliday's current team, the Athletics.  Strauss adds:

Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr., who opposed the November deal for Holliday, is apparently on board with assuming the remainder of Holliday's $13.5 million salary.

Only about $7.6MM remains on Holliday's contract, and he is of course a free agent after the season.  Holliday, a Scott Boras client, currently profiles as a Type A free agent despite a decrease in production with Oakland.

Ludwick has about $2MM remaining on his contract this year.  He's under team control through 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player.  Ludwick was actually drafted by the A's in 1999, 60th overall.  In 2002, they sent him to the Rangers with Gerald Laird and others for Carlos Pena and Mike Venafro.  Ludwick, like Holliday, has dropped off significantly from his huge 2008 season.

Odds And Ends: Sano, Rays, Mateo

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More links for your Friday afternoon…

Cardinals To Sign Wagner Mateo

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FRIDAY, 2:42pm: ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure reports that the Cardinals will sign Mateo for $3.1MM. GM John Mozeliak solidified the agreement at Mateo's house. The Giants nearly offered him $3.5MM, but backed off at the last minute. 

THURSDAY, 7:42pm: According to Baseball America's Ben Badler, the Cardinals are "zeroing in" on 16-year-old outfielder Wagner Mateo, and are prepared to offer him a $3MM signing bonus. 

The international signing period begins July 2.  If Mateo does indeed land $3MM, it would be the second-highest chunk of money ever tendered to a Latin American amateur.  Oakland right-hander Michael Ynoa (or Inoa, depending who you ask) set the all-time record last year when he landed a $4.25MM bonus.  The Cardinals began negotiations with Mateo in late May.

Knobler On Cardinals, Phillies, Giants

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Danny Knobler of CBS Sports identifies the five neediest teams in baseball. No team will be able to acquire big names easily, however, as officials around the league agree that impact arms and bats aren't available with so many teams in the race. Here's a closer look at Knobler's rumors:

  • The Cardinals have had less production out of the cleanup spot than just about any NL team and GM John Mozeliak says he's "not ignoring" the issue.
  • As one official points out, "thirty teams in baseball could use Mark DeRosa" and the Cardinals could use him most of all.
  • Knobler expects the Phillies to continue looking for a starting pitcher. He doesn't rule out Erik Bedard and says the Phils have considered Zach Duke and Paul Maholm.  
  • The Giants could use a hitter and Knobler hears that Brian Sabean's facing pressure from his superiors to make a move.
  • The Brewers could use an arm, as we know. 
  • Omar Minaya seems more intense than usual, but the many injuries to his players could make it harder for him to justify making one big move. As one Mets official said, the team is in a "bad position."

Heyman On Strasburg, Pedro, DeRosa

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Jon Heyman of SI.com lists some of the best and worst starts to the season. Justin Upton and Marco Scutaro are two of the players to make the first list. Heyman's also got some rumors to pass along; here they are:

  • It is believed that Stephen Strasburg's people don't want him to pitch in the majors this year.
  • Strasburg's agent, Scott Boras, is believed to have mentioned Jose Contreras, who signed for $32MM, and Daisuke Matsuzaka, who signed for $52MM, as comparable players.
  • It doesn't sound like former Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker will end up as the Nationals' next GM, though the Nats are said to be considering names other than Mike Rizzo's for the permanent job. 
  • Heyman says a Doug Davis return to Milwaukee could make sense. 
  • The Rays would like to add a closer without adding payroll, which will be a challenge.
  • Rays GM Andrew Friedman hasn't ruled out Pedro Martinez, but says he's a long shot.  
  • Heyman hears that the Cardinals and Mets are two of the teams calling the Indians about Mark DeRosa.   

Glaus Could Appeal To Teams At First Or DH

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Troy Glaus could appeal to teams looking for a first baseman or DH. The Cardinals may not have room for Glaus when he returns from his injury, since his hitting is progressing better than his throwing. With Albert Pujols at first and no DH, the Cardinals may decide to trade Glaus if he can't play third.

If the Cardinals deal him, they'd likely have to pay a portion of his $11.25MM salary. Rosenthal names the Rangers, Mets, Giants, Braves, Tigers and Mariners as teams that could have interest in Glaus at first or as a DH.

Heyman: Ten Teams That Could Add Payroll

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Jon Heyman of SI.com provides a list of ten teams that could add payroll. He adds the Angels, Brewers, Red Sox and Brewers to the list we assembled last week. Here are his ten teams:

  • The Red Sox could add payroll, but they don't have significant needs.
  • The Mets could add payroll and they need a hitter who can play first, the outfield, or both.
  • The Phillies could add payroll to acquire pitching.
  • The Angels, with several contracts expiring this year (Vladimir Guerrero, John Lackey, Chone Figgins), could add salary.
  • The Giants could take on payroll to add a bat.
  • The Brewers and Cardinals could both free up money to add a pitcher or hitter.
  • The Tigers, White Sox and Dodgers round out Heyman's list, but he warns us not to rule out the Yankees.
  • Don't look for the White Sox to deal prospects away to increase their playoff chances, even though they trail the Tigers by just 5.0 games.
  • On another note, no one's called the Mariners about Adrian Beltre.

Gammons’ Latest: Red Sox, Washburn, DeRosa

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In his latest blog post at ESPN.com, Peter Gammons writes that "unless someone comes up with a Justin Smoak, Matt LaPorta or Brett Wallace," the Red Sox will hold on to Brad Penny and enjoy the depth. He says no one will offer up a prospect like that for a few months of Penny.

Here's the rest of Gammons' rumors:

  • Takashi Saito is the pitcher on Boston's staff most likely to be traded.
  • Jake Peavy and Erik Bedard "probably won't be tradeable before Aug. 1" because of their injuries.
  • Jarrod Washburn could be had.
  • The Red Sox have talked to the Angels about infielder Maicer Izturis, but the talks haven't gone anywhere
  • Mark Mulder "made considerable progress refinding his delivery after one session with pitching coach Rick Peterson."
  • The Mets are looking for an outfield bat. They made a run at Mark DeRosa, but wouldn't discuss Bobby Parnell.
  • The Cardinals wouldn't discuss Jason Motte or Chris Perez in exchange for DeRosa.
  • The uncertain situation surrounding the Cubs' ownership will likely prohibit any major additions.
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