Tyler Hissey  

In one of the first high-profile trades of the summer, the Cleveland Indians on Saturday dealt the versatile Mark DeRosa to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later.

The verdict on the outcomes of this deal won't be out for a long time, of course, but the thought processes guiding the thinking on both sides appear to have been sound.

DeRosa, with the ability to play multiple positions on the diamond, is a nice fit for the Cardinals. Due mostly to injuries, third base has been a revolving door for St. Louis in 2009; Troy Glaus has yet to appear in a game, David Freese and Joe Thurston are recovering from surgeries and Khalil Greene has struggled on the field and with anxiety disorder. As such, the 33-year-old veteran adds a nice option at the position on an interim basis while Glaus works his way back for a second-half push. When the aforementioned third basemen return to the picture, though, he can also help out in other areas, affording manager Tony LaRussa the luxury of putting him at second base or on a corner outfield spot; he started in left field and batted clean up in his Cardinals debut on Sunday.

DeRosa, traded to the Indians over the offseason, had a career year at 32 with the Chicago Cubs in 2008, hitting .285/.376/.481 with 21 home runs and 87 RBIs in his second stint in the Windy City. He put up personal bests in OPS+ (118) and Weighted On-Base Average (woBA, .376), amassing an impressive 3.8 Wins Above Replacement (WAR); according to FanGraphs, that level of production translates to $17.2-M on the open market. Although his line was boosted by the friendly confines of Wrigley Field (he hit 316/.404/.514. at home and .254/.347/.448 on the road), it was an incredible performance for the former two-sport star at the University of Pennsylvania.

Despite the breakout, Chicago surprised the baseball world and angered many in its fan base by sending DeRosa to Cleveland in exchange for a package of pitching prospects before spring training. Like several of his new teammates, he struggled out of the gate after finally finding a spot to call home, third base. He rebounded a bit in recent weeks as his trade value increased, though, posting an overall line of .270./.342/.457 with 13 home runs and 50 RBIs with the Indians, who have essentially raised the red flag. Although his rates worsened (9.4 BB%, 22.7 K%) from his Chicago days, he put up a decent 105 OPS+ and .349 wOBA in 314 plate appearances in his return to the Junior Circuit.

Another selling point, DeRosa should help the Cardinals' issues against left-handed pitching. Even with Albert Pujols lighting up southpaws at an otherworldly level, the club has combined to hit just .228/.309/.358 with a .668 OPS in 703 at-bats against lefties

DeRosa, on the other hand, has been extremely productive against his opposite kind during his career, batting .305/.375/.488 against them in 826 at-bats. His .863 OPS against left-handers is more than 100 points higher than his mark against right-handers (.737), and, while the sample size is small, he has raked to the tune of a .339/.409/.661 line and 1.070 OPS against them in 59 at-bats in '09.

DeRosa does have certain flaws, however. While he can play several places, he isn't a great defender, especially in the infield. He produced a -5.5 UZR and -16.3 UZR/150 in 44 games at the hot corner with the Tribe, and, over 208 games there total during his career, has been worth -12.4 runs below average. The reports at his natural position, second base (-12.0 career UZR), aren't much better, though he has been well above average on the outfield corners (18.2 outfield UZR).

As a sum of his defensive parts, DeRosa is still quite valuable. When accounting for batting, fielding, positional and replacement factors, he has been worth 1.1 WAR. ZiPS projects him to hit at a .280/.358/.432 clip with a .348 wOBA the rest of the way, so he's likely to add just under two wins for the Cards. Referred to by some as the glue holding the '08 Cubs together, he's also considered to be an excellent clubhouse presence and leader by all accounts; while these intangible traits tend to get overrated, they certainly don't hurt matters.

Despite hitting fourth on Sunday, DeRosa will likely provide an on-base boost in front of Pujols and can be used in numerous spots in the lineup. One of his biggest strengths is that he provides LaRussa with options on both sides of the ball. The 12-year veteran, in the last year of a three-year, $13-M contract he was given by the Cubs in the winter of 2006, will become a free agent at season's end but still has value even if he ends up as only a rental. St. Louis finds itself 41-36 and tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the National League Central, despite offensive woes that should only improve in the second half. Thus, DeRosa could end up making an important difference in the Central race. Plus, his arrival may end any talks between the Cardinals and the Oakland Athletics about a potential Matt Holliday deal-- the A's are reportedly asking for a bundle of elite prospects in return--but still sends a positive message to a fan base that has been critical of the current front office regime.

The cost of acquiring DeRosa didn't come cheap, however, as St. Louis was forced to part ways with a pitcher whom many considered to be its future closer in order to upgrade its offensive attack. Cleveland general manager Mark Shapiro told reporters that the timing was right to sell the infielder/outfielder as far as his club was concerned, and he appears to have successfully received maximum value in exchange for an expendable asset. After getting off to a miserable start, the Indians are 31-46 and in the cellar of the American League Central. Favorites in the division headed into the spring, the Tribe have been expected to punt, becoming active sellers in the trade market, for some time now. While big names Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez are unlikely to be moved considering their affordable options for 2010, DeRosa seemed like the most logical regular to get shipped; there was a demand for his services and he was expendable given his impending free agent status.

Shapiro, after testing the market, has to be happy with his return. Perez, one of many hard-throwing relief products of the St. Louis farm system, has the chance to be a special late-inning arm under club control at an affordable rate well into the next decade. The soon-to-be 25-year-old (July 1 birthday) has excellent stuff and has displayed the ability to miss bats since being drafted out of the University of Miami with the 42nd pick in the 2006 draft. He relies on an effective two-pitch arsenal that features a mid-90s heater (avg. fastball velocity 94.0 MPH) and mid-90s slider (84.9 MPH).

After beginning the season at Triple-A, Perez has had mixed results in '09, registering a 4.18 ERA, 101 ERA+ and 4.45 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) mark in 23.2 innings pitched over 29 relief appearances. He has struck out 30, posting an excellent 11.41 K/9%. His 5.70 BB/9 rate is alarming, however, as command and consistency have continued to be an issue for the young righty; he also struggled on this front in his debut in '08, posting a 4.75 BB/9 rate while frustrating LaRussa by blowing a few saves in September.

With Jason Motte and co. under team control for some time, the Cards have other young relief options. Perez had perhaps the highest upside of the group, though, because of his excellent second pitch, his nasty slider. If he can harness his control and locate his pitches where he wants to in the strike zone, he could emerge as an elite reliever called upon to record outs in high-leverage situations, perhaps in a closer role, in Cleveland.

With that said, relievers are the most fungible role on a major league roster and have limited upside for that reason. While Perez could be a stud, relief pitching is the most economical position to upgrade via the draft, trades and the open market, and, with the small sample sizes, even the best bullpen arms have a hard time passing the 1.0-WAR mark.

Trying to label an instant winner for this deal is a futile exercise, as doing so will be impossible until seeing what Perez accomplishes down the road. For now, though, both sides appear to have received good value when considering the circumstances. It's doubtful that Cleveland would've been able to land a better package for DeRosa, who looks to be a great match for St. Louis.

Tyler Hissey is the editor of Around the Majors and hosts FirstInning.com's weekly online radio show, Minor League Notebook Weekly, which airs every Monday night at 8:00 Eastern Time. To reach him, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.