MLB Fastball 1.18.08: Cardinals And Blue Jays Swap Third Basemen
Posted by Neil Borenstein on 01.18.2008
Scott Rolen wanted out of St. Louis. Troy Glaus is dealing with steroid accusations. On Monday, the Cardinals and Blue Jays decided to make a swap at the hot corner. In this week’s edition of MLB Fastball, Neil Borenstein looks at the trade that will bring a defensive upgrade to Toronto and bring in much-needed protection at the plate for Albert Pujols in St. Louis.
Cardinals, Blue Jays Exchange Third Basemen
Disgruntled Rolen Heads To Toronto For Glaus
Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports
After three years of nagging injuries, Scott Rolen is ready to start over in Toronto.
Two birds. One stone.
One Monday, the Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals managed to relieve themselves of their third basemen through a simple swap. The Blue Jays dealt Troy Glaus to the Cardinals for Scott Rolen. The trade, which involves two players who have been in the MLB for at least 10 years, was a straight up, one-for-one exchange.
A deal in the ilk of NBA trade traditions – my problem for your problem, this represents something different for each team. The Cardinals gain an upgrade in offense while losing a disgruntled infielder, while the Blue Jays improved themselves defensively and lost a player among those named in The Mitchell Report steroids debacle. Unlike the NBA, though, this trade may actually end up helping both teams.
Rolen's departure from St. Louis was a long time coming. Tension between manager Tony La Russa and he stemming from a benching in the 2006 playoffs continued to grow. Rolen didn't feel it was ideal to stay with the Cardinals when he couldn't get along with La Russa, who re-signed with the team in October to a two-year extension. Upon La Russa's signing of that extension, Rolen requested a trade from St. Louis. On Monday, the team made it happen.
Rolen, 32, has seen his play suffer due to injury over the past three seasons. He had a career year in 2004 with 34 home runs, 124 RBIs, 109 runs scored and a .314 batting average. He was an intrical part in the Cardinals' making it all the way to the World Series, where the Boston Red Sox swept them. Since then, however, he has missed over 170 games thanks to being injured in a collision with Hee-Seop Choi of the Los Angeles Dodgers in May 2005. His left shoulder has never really recovered.
Rolen is optimistic that a move to the Blue Jays will not only make him feel a lot more comfortable as a player, but surgery that ended his season last September will allow him to play much like he did prior to his nagging shoulder problems.
"I feel as good and as strong as I've been in the last three years, by far," Rolen said to the Associated Press on Tuesday. "I feel right now that I'm back where I wanted to be before all the destruction. I don't have any restrictions right now."
Before the destruction, Rolen was a solid offensive producer with a strong and reliable defensive upside. He won the Gold Glove Award seven times – three with the Philadelphia Phillies, three with the Cardinals and one in 2002 when he started the season with the Phillies and finished it with the Cardinals after being traded along with Don Nickle for Plácido Polanco, Mike Timlin and Bud Smith in July. Rolen was also selected to the All Star team five teams – all but one coming as a member of the Cardinals, and won the National League Players' Choice Award for Rookie of the Year in 1997.
Nobody is expecting Rolen to be 100 perfect healthy. He is a risk considering there is no certainty in Rolen being able to completely shrug off his nagging shoulder concerns. And with three years and $36 million remaining on the eight-year, $90 million contract extension he signed in 2003, Rolen is far from a cheap investment.
If season-ending surgery last September in his arm is really making him feel a lot better than he has over the past three years, however, he is going to make a big impact in the Blue Jays' lineup. For starters, he really never let the injuries affect his defensive play at the hot corner, which should allow him to remain a Gold Glove contender in his first run in the American League. On offense, he will probably never contribute like he did in 2004 for the Cards. But a 25-home run season with 90-95 RBIs is not out of the question. A healthier Rolen should also have a decent batting average, likely in the .280-.300 department. All of that is a huge improvement from his 2007 output, which consisted of eight home runs, 58 RBIs, 55 runs and a .265 batting average in 112 games played.
Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports
Troy Glaus is expected to provide needed protection for Albert Pujols in St. Louis' lineup.
Glaus has his own issues to deal with. He was one of the 80-plus players named in The Mitchell Report released in December. He was also named in a SI.com report, which claimed he received steroids from Signature Pharmacy between September 2003 and May 2004. Even outside of steroid-related problems, Glaus also had season-ending surgery for a ruptured plantar fascia in September.
The Cardinals aren't worried about Glaus' situation in relation to steroids, claiming they did their own investigation before pulling the trigger on the trade.
"We did our due diligence on that," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said at a news conference called after the trade, according to the Associated Press. "We spoke with Major League Baseball. Obviously, it was a concern to us moving forward … Our understanding and how it was explained to us is they did a thorough investigation. He cooperated fully. At the end of the day, they felt there was not enough to warrant any disciplinary action. With that said, it made us very comfortable with the direction we were going."
Glaus also expects his injury to be healed and for him to be ready to go for the Cardinals in their season opener on March 31 against the Colorado Rockies.
In Glaus, the Cardinals lose a bit on the defensive end. He doesn't have a Gold Glove to his name and his foot problems could hinder his mobility. But he is by no means a terrible option at third base and is more than capable of filling in at the hot corner. And, where St. Louis gets taken down a notch in that department, it increases its prowess at the plate. Glaus immediately enters the lineup as tremendous protection for Albert Pujols.
Glaus is a power bat, plain and simple. He is one of the best sluggers in the MLB. He is not a sure thing to boast a 40-home run season, which he was able to do earlier on in his career. But if the 31-year old is able to avoid injury concerns and suit up for almost a full slate of games, it's not impossible for him to reach the plateau again. Ranging somewhere in the 35-40 range is more likely, however. Certainly, 100 RBIs is not out of the range of possibility for Glaus, either. Batting clean up behind Pujols is only going to aid in his ability to put up great numbers.
That's production the Cardinals were not going to get from Rolen. Especially with the trade of Jim Edmonds to San Diego, the Cardinals really lack players that can smack the ball out of the park. Glaus adds a much needed threat to St. Louis' lineup.
Glaus' one caveat is that he strikes out an awful lot, and that can be seen in his career. To expect much more out of him than around a .250 batting average and fewer than 140 strikeouts is foolish, because Glaus will end up right around there in both cases. But considering power hitters tend to strike out quite a bit, the Cardinals just need to learn to take the good with the bad. He will provide run production that St. Louis is going to need.
Glaus will cost just as much as Rolen, as he has $24 million and two years remaining on his current contract.
It's tough to pick a winner in this deal. I like Rolen's overall ability, so I'll give Toronto the slight edge. But it's very close to call.
The Cardinals really didn't want to trade Rolen, but the only way to keep the peace was to trade him. With that, the Cardinals' loss is a defensive gain for the Blue Jays, who will also see some decent offensive output from Rolen so long as he remains healthy. In return, St. Louis downgrades their defense at the hot corner, but gets one of the best sluggers in the game, who is much needed protection in the lineup for the team's star player in Pujols. It's really a win-win for both organizations.
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